Los Angeles Lakers: 5 times Magic Johnson sacrificed himself
First retirement
On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson shocked the world announcing he had contracted the HIV virus.
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He obviously had to automatically retire as its effects on his short-term health were still unknown and he could not take the chance to infect other players.
A hard blow for the NBA, which was losing one of his icons, and for the fans all over the world who idolized the 6’9″ smiling point guard who electrified the game with his dazzling passes.
The little knowledge about the AIDS disease and the HIV virus at the time made him a walking dead man in the public eye. Instead, he became the living proof and testimonial of how low-life threatening the virus was if properly treated while leaving the freedom to live a normal life.
Obviously, there was much concern for the contagion around the league and it was the safer and sounder move to retire, but as of our knowledge of the virus today, a player would never need to retire.
God had a plan for Magic, and that was to use his success as a basketball legend to make him an even more important figure out of the court, becoming the face of the disease, representing and improving the lives of all who suffered it around the world.
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This is the ultimate legacy of Magic Johnson. Not the championships. Not the MVPs. Not the Los Angeles Lakers’ success. The millions of lives he changed with his work, his power, his enthusiasm and his love for life.