Magic Johnson Announces He Has HIV and Retires From the Lakers
On November 7, 1991, basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced at a press conference in Inglewood, California, that he had tested positive for HIV and was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The Announcement
On the afternoon of November 7, 1991, Johnson spoke to reporters at the Great Western Forum, the Lakers' home arena. He said that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS, and that he would retire from the National Basketball Association at once. He said that he intended to work as a spokesman to educate people about the disease. His wife, Cookie, who was pregnant, had tested negative. The announcement was carried live on television.
A Career Until Then
Johnson was a point guard who had joined the Lakers in 1979 after leading Michigan State to the 1979 NCAA championship. With the Lakers he won five NBA titles in the 1980s and was named the league's most valuable player three times, in 1987, 1989 and 1990. At the time of his announcement he held the NBA record for career assists. He was 32 years old and had been preparing for the 1991 to 92 season when a physical examination, required for an insurance policy, showed that he was HIV-positive.
Public Health in 1991
In 1991 AIDS had been recognized for just over a decade, and public understanding of how HIV is transmitted was limited. Johnson said that he had contracted the virus through heterosexual sex, and he urged people to use protection. He was a member of the National Commission on AIDS, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, and he resigned in 1992, saying that he believed the administration's response to the epidemic was insufficient.
After Retirement
Fans voted Johnson into the starting lineup of the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, and he played in it and was named most valuable player. That summer he was a member of the United States basketball team at the Barcelona Olympics, which won the gold medal. He returned to the Lakers for part of the 1995 to 96 season. Johnson continues to live with HIV, treated with antiviral medicines, and has supported HIV prevention through a foundation.
HIV Treatment in 1991
In 1991 there was no cure for HIV and few treatments. The drug AZT had been approved in the United States in 1987, and treatment with combinations of antiretroviral drugs became available in 1996. That combination approach greatly reduced deaths from AIDS in countries where the drugs could be obtained. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an HIV infection that is treated and kept at an undetectable level does not pass to a sexual partner. Johnson established the Magic Johnson Foundation in 1991 to support HIV and AIDS education and community programs.
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