Magic Johnson shocked the nation when he announced that he contracted HIV in 1991. At the time, many people were unaware of how the disease could spread and the treatments.
Some believed that Johnson would die within five years and he was ostracized by NBA players who didn’t want to play with him due to fear of being exposed to the disease.
Johnson eventually decided to retire from the NBA and became a successful entrepreneur and TV broadcaster. But Johnson now regrets stepping away from the game. In a recent interview conducted by the Los Angeles Times, Johnson said that he should have continued his NBA career.
“If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have retired,” Johnson said. “I had just played with these guys at the Olympics. Then I get back home and said I’m coming back to the NBA and the same guys that I went to war with in the Olympics came out and said, ‘No, I think I’m going to get HIV.’ ”
Johnson continues to be a spokesperson for HIV/AIDS by urging minorities across the nation to practice safe sex and to get tested routinely. –amir shaw
