So a gay person or someone who was a drug user was a guilty victim, and they deserved no compassion and no support. Nudged it around a bit. She grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and moved to Brennan: I mean, the conversation around HIV/AIDS in the gay community is very different from the way that its treated even to this day in the broader culture. Cookie recalls, "I just thought, 'forget it. And he decided to bring that approach to something that is really life or death. Johnson was pivotal in helping to lessen that stigma, as he not only managed to find a way forward and live with the disease, but also returned to playing basketball. ". Would that be OK?, This was not the way to make a good impression. Brennan: Were talking about gender disparities. He even just made his own Lakers series. The swimsuit was complimented by a colorful robe that added a dash of color to the otherwise monochrome tone set by the black and white polka-dotted swimwear. At the time, the face of the Lakers was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a moody soul who brooded a hundred times for every forced smile. Brennan: Were you aware of Magic Johnson as someone who was living with HIV when you were growing up in the 90s? Hes joined by coach Paul Westhead, far left, and teammates Norm Nixon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wearing hat. I am a student and a blogger all alone, Gurmeet. Brennan: The vast majority of those who died from HIV in this period were men who had sex with men. Maddox: Oh, wait, do you not remember the, uh so remember at the beginning of the pandemic? The coins in the air.. Cookie was pregnant with their son, E.J., when Magic received his diagnosis but neither Cookie nor the baby had contracted the virus. And well talk about that right after the break. Cookie and Magic met for the first time at a party they attended as freshmen at the Michigan State University in 1977. Cookies steady nature also proved to be vital when E.J., now 24, came out as gay. He now seemed to realize it would never happen. Magic Johnson interacts with the crowd after the Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers to claim the 1982 NBA title. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The true stories behind HBOs Winning Time: An episode-by-episode guide, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, Review: White House Plumbers reenacts the mishaps of Watergates operatives for laughs, Get ready for the 2023 Met Gala: Heres when, and how, to tune in live, Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon blasted at White House Correspondents dinner, Tom Jones review: PBS Masterpieces latest period drama is laid-back and enjoyable. Johnson left Michigan State after his sophomore season and was selected by the Lakers as the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. The draft was still two months away, and both sides wanted to know whether a partnership could be reached. Earletha Kelly, well recognized as Cookie Johnson, is a wife of veteran NBA star, Magic Johnson. He didnt have to announce that he was HIV positive. Her face, adorned with shades, was turned away from the camera, providing a clear view of the golden hoop earring that adorned her ear. The whole town was just I remember. Magic Johnson, however, learned from his humiliating mistake to make something great come out of it. He played on the 1992 NBA All-Star Team as well as the "Dream Team" at the Olympics. Magic credited Cookie for always being in his corner and supporting him. This stuff, he said, is pretty good., From SHOWTIME: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. The only thing he knows is hamburger and pizza. A resigned Cooke sighed, then yelled toward the kitchen, Can we have a hamburger?, A hamburger! he screamed. That was the advice presented to him by Jerry West, the outgoing coach, who wasnt fully convinced a 6-foot-9 point guard would function in the fast-paced NBA. She has two siblings an older sister Pat and a younger brother Harold Earl. She is also a self-made woman who has built an Read More:Who Were Jessie Buss and JoAnn Mueller? Ive been a competitor my whole life. Further, the family head south to their house at the beach, a three-story, Tuscan-style villa during weekends or holidays. Im not going to sit here and say that I understood that he was gay at that time because I didnt. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | Magic says he encouraged his wife to tell her side of the story in her book, Believing in Magic. Mi, Yahoo, dio smo grupacije robnih marki Yahoo. After protests from his teammates, he retired again for four years, but returned to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time in 1996, at the age of 36. section: | slug: magic-johnson-opens-up-on-living-with-hiv-30-years-after-his-diagnosis | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | Here he is in that 1991 press conference: Johnson: I think sometimes we think, Well, only gay people can get it. And here I am saying that it can happen to anybody. When Larry OBrien, the NBAs commissioner, prepared to flip the coin inside the leagues New York City headquarters, the Bulls and Lakers felt their futures momentarily hovering in midair. She thought it was a death sentence because thats all we knew.. Brennan: I actually feel like I need to like next season, do you have like a fantasy league? But in terms of the culture around it, I dont know. AIDS meant death. The mainstream press had almost no coverage. Please logout and login again. Cookie Johnson is a frequent presence at the Union Rescue Mission and the Downtown Womens Center. Those are the two things that I, you know, the kind of thing where you remember exactly where you were when you heard about it. Her long dark hair was styled in a single ponytail. 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Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie enjoy spending time with family and loved ones. Maddox: And 126,000 were over how many years, roughly? Another pause. RELATED: Magic Johnson Shuts Down 'False Story' He Donated Blood at the Red Cross. It's because of this that Magic Johnson's wife has made a huge difference in educating people and funding programs to prevent the dreaded disease. Magic has another son, Andre, from a relationship with Melissa Mitchell, born in 1981. Since Johnson and his wife running a campaign as well as a charity for HIV patients. Despite winning 47 games and reaching the playoffs in 197879, the Lakers sold out only once, and averaged 11,771 fans in an arena that seated 17,505. His full name is Earvin III Johnson. As a result, Cookie had to take a test to assure their safety, and it came back negative both for herself and their child. Maddox: Magic is like the only person who probably could have the confidence to publicly announce that he has something that everyone considers a death sentence in 1991 and still feel like, all right, there will still be a percentage of people that will support me. Not to mention, Johnson has made $24,560,000 as NBA career earning playing from 19791991, 1996 with Los Angeles Lakers. The job you've done as a mother and now a grandmother has been an honor to witness and I am so proud to call you my wife. Yes! Magic and Cookie wed in Sept. 1991, after some ups and downs in their relationship. Be the first one to comment on this story. Shes known to be an energetic worker and supporter of battered and homeless women. The Bulls played in dumpy Chicago Stadium, and put forth an uninspired roster highlighted by the likes of Andre Wakefield and Wilbur Holland. 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Maddox: Theres micro-communities, I would say, that have started to address this issue that youre talking about, but the way we talk about stuff in the States with regards to sexual health, especially yeah, no, I wouldnt imagine that it has changed that much. Sam Graham-Felsen pointed to a direct connection between Magics personal care team and the emergence of a key treatment that made living with HIV possible. He loves her so much; he once called her the "perfect partner" and "soulmate.". Magic & Cookie Johnson's Relationship Timeline Spans Over 40 Jeff Pearlmans book on the Showtime era Lakers is the basis of a TV series on HBO, but the show Winning Time follows a different path from the book. I just think we also need to acknowledge that because he was wealthy and because he was famous, he had some advantages in the fight against HIV that others did not. Maddox: Good point. So Magic was one of the first people to demonstrably get better taking these drugs and show the world that you could survive a positive diagnosis. The Magic Johnson Foundation has provided free HIV/AIDS testing to more than 38,000 Americans and has educated nearly 280,000 people about HIV, risk factors associated with the disease and the importance of HIV testing. Cooke observed Johnsons bewildered expression. Brennan: Even if Magic had just focused on himself, it still would have been unusual that he made an announcement at all. Like you had to come up with a kind of science-fiction narrative in order to make sense of him living for years after the diagnosis, because that was how unbelievable that notion sounded in 1991. The organization has been one of the biggest contributors to the study and prevention of HIV and AIDS for more than 30 years. 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Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie Johnson, have overcome everything from infidelities to illnesses throughout their relationship and now live in a stunning Los He was in the prime of his career with the Lakers, and had just married his wife, Cookie, who was pregnant with their first child, EJ. It was difficult. I think that stigma still prevents a lot of people from seeking regular testing and treatment. He didnt just announce that he had the virus he made clear that he wanted his announcement to protect other people. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. He is 30 years old as of 2022. Despite Abdul-Jabbar's dominance, he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal. Ill let Dr. Fullilove explain. Copyright 2014 by Jeff Pearlman. Matt Brennan: That was Robert Wade, Rob and Mary Weiss, Jim Hecht, Max Borenstein, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Syrus Yarbrough and Jeff Pearlman remembering the day Magic Johnson announced this diagnosis. He invited Johnson and his entourage to stay the night in Los Angeles and return to the Trophy Room the following morning. But 30 years later, the NBA legend is still pursuing his passions, with Cookie by his side. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at And now the preferred terminology for someone whos HIV positive is someone living with HIV. I think Magic, as you point out, becomes kind of an emblem of hes someone who didnt just survive getting HIV, but has thrived in the time since. Hecht: We thought that we were going to watch Magic get very thin and pass away. It also had a demonstrable effect on the conversation around the management of HIV. You wanted to see him smile. Among his many achievements he is also the winner of multiple NBA championship rings, so lets get to know him one by one, as we learn more about the player. pic.twitter.com/JFTbV0U9YZ. "And then I meet Cookie first, and the rest is history. Brennan: Right. She was born on January 20, 1959, in Huntsville, Alabama. Andre also shows a lot of love for his dad on social media. Advertise with us He adds, Now shes got the chance to tell everybody who she is, not hide behind Magic Johnson.. But he was older, and he came to us and immediately tore his Achilles. In his 90s, Star Khiladi set standards that are followed by sportspersons even today. Id like to suggest that everything weve done since 1990 has really been at least in part, in public health, based on what we learned by watching what happened with Magic Johnson. And were going to talk about that after this break. And for something you love doing! Jim Hecht: It was a long time ago it was 1991 and I remember it like crystal clear. The former NBA player is also a former player of the Los Angeles Lakers star team. Los Angeles, meanwhile, was but a dream to Johnson, who rightly envisioned a paradise of palm trees and 80-degree days and gorgeous women in wallet-size bikinis. One of the focal points of the show is the Lakers drafting of Earvin Magic Johnson. Ive worked in a factory my whole life for what hes offering you for one year! Earvin Sr. said. L.A. Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke summed it up pretty nicely. A look at the professional career of Magic Johnson's wife, Cookie Johnson. Magic Johnson He was largely ostracized by some of his friends, colleagues and fans. "I wanted to make sure that she was going to be okay, the baby was going to be okay, and then I can move forward with making sure I was going to be okay," the former Lakers president said. Magic demonstrated that this was something that was not isolated, and the Congress, which had often been lax to do very much because it didnt believe that it affected the populations that had voted them in office, suddenly had to wonder whether or not they were doing something that would ultimately be a topic of condemnation. Magic Johnson's wife, Cookie Johnson, has been married to the LA Lakers icon for more than 30 years already. Cooke, however, wasnt one to be swayed easily. At the very least. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. He really was beyond reproach, said George Fox, his high school coach. Max Borenstien: I remember literally where I was. The Sounds romantic, but yes, the basketball player told her and his parents after three months of dating that Cookie going to be the one, and the rest is history. Beginning with that very moment, staring at a peppy teenager biting some meat, Hearn knew something about Johnson sparkled. The 29-year reality show titled Rich Kids of Beverly Hills from 2014 to 2016. There was a strong belief, for a brief time at least, that Moncrief, not Magic, would wind up a Laker., Even if he werent the smartest basketball man around, Cooke understood that sports were as much about salesmanship as on-court success. A statue of Magic Johnson resides outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. He said last year that telling Cookie was the "hardest" thing he ever had to do. He could have said, Im retiring because of concussion syndrome, or, Im retiring because of a chronically bad back.. Plaschke: I think he thought he was going to be dead. I think that if Cookie had left Id probably be dead now no question about it, Magic says. Im not that guy. Magic Johnson recalls telling his pregnant wife about his HIV diagnosis in 1991. It was during this year that Johnson married Cookie Kelly and also made her the secretary of The Magic Johnson Foundation. She later completed her bachelors degree in textile clothing from Michigan State University, where she met Magic Johnson. Cookie shares her perspective of the diagnosis in her new memoir, Believing in Magic. Maddox: Yeah, I mean, I was 2 years old when he did his press conference and when he was diagnosed, so I couldnt tell you when those words actually made sense to me. Kareem Maddox: My initial reaction is that Magic Johnson is an athlete, right? Seared into your memory. Fine, said Chick Hearn, the announcer, who also worked as an assistant general manager with the team. It was the right thing to do. While Johnson can now attest to 30 years of life after being diagnosed with HIV, his journey living with the disease has been far from easy. She attended an all-black school called Council Training School. Earvin could do no wrong.. Sam Graham-Felsen: Rock Hudson, the great Hollywood actor, who was the first mega celebrity to publicly come out as having AIDS he sort of acknowledged it publicly just days before died. Despite the disease, Johnson was chosen to compete in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics for the US basketball team, dubbed the "Dream Team" alongside fellow Hall of Famers such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Larry Bird. About Us Vie o tome kako upotrebljavamo vae osobne podatke moete saznati u naim pravilima zatite privatnosti i pravilima o kolaiima. MediaPunch/Shutterstock (L-R) Elisa Johnson, EJ Johnson, Cookie Johnson, Magic Johnson, Lisa Johnson and Andre Johnson. Known simply as Cookie to friends and business associates, the former Cookie Kelly finished her studies at Michigan State University. So here now, a mere few weeks later, the kid was itching for a hamburger, befuddled by what was placed before him. I know when I come here [home], Im not Magic. And because he defied that quote unquote death sentence, he also provided a model for living with HIV for those who would be diagnosed in the years to come. That is how many people that it killed. The $500,000 contract made Johnson the highest-paid rookie in league history. In Episode 9 of Binge Sesh, hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox explore the defining moment that opens HBOs Winning Time: Magic Johnsons 1991 diagnosis with HIV. Wade: Well, yeah, it was a death sentence. Cookie and Magic did a good job raising their kids to become the best they can be despite all the trials they faced as a young couple. Magic Johnsons height is 2.06 m (6 9). Maddox: Youre easily an intermediate basketball mind by this point in the season. Before the Magic of the Showtime years, however, the Lakers needed a little luck. Dr. Robert Fullilove, professor and associate dean at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, has been working on HIV/AIDS for more than three decades, and he says that even extended to medical workers. Magic Johnson: Birthday| First child| Wife| Rings - sportsjone That single comment echoes what most people think of Cookie and her longtime husband. "It proved to be the right decision," Magic Johnson said. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. So the Congress finds the means over a period of a couple of years to start putting more and more money, investing more and more, in HIV treatments and HIV prevention and in a variety of activities that I believe led to the discovery of the antiretrovirals that we now have in place. Cooke had waited a long time for Abdul-Jabbar to turn on the charm. There have been other claims that Magic is the father of more children from secret romantic relationships but none have been proven. Magic Johnson What are you talking about? he said. Maddox: I think people are still just afraid. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has the viewers relive the 1980s by charting the Los Angeles Lakers dominance in the NBA, ushering in a new era and a playstyle that was effective and entertaining. All Rights Reserved. His announcement came almost immediately upon his diagnosis. Graham-Felsen: There were treatments that were working now, and he was one of the earliest people on these treatments. All about Magic Johnsons marriage, wife and children But there was no greater pressure than driving home to tell her.". Im only as good as Cookie. She wrote an autobiography, Believing in Magic, chronicling her experience with Magics diagnosis and how she dealt with the various changes in her life throughout her marriage. Maddox: Bill Plaschke captured that in his description of post-diagnosis Magic who played on the Olympics Dream Team in 1992 and later returned to the Lakers for stints as a coach, player and general manager. 1 overall by the Lakers on June 26, 1979. Salli Richardson-Whitfield: I was in Jamaica at a golf tournament. Aside from him, they also have a daughter At a time when HIV was still seen as a death sentence, Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing he was infected. A bare rocky outcrop in the middle of the ocean made for a perfect backdrop but did not distract from the true star of the shoot. Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers. Women have historically been seen as vectors of infection instead of as people with AIDS deserving of treatment. Cookie and Magic first met in 1977 at the Michigan State University during their freshman year. Maddox: And Im Kareem Maddox, professional basketball player and podcaster. This week were tackling the moment that marked the end of Showtime: Magic Johnsons 1991 announcement that he had HIV and was retiring from the NBA, effective immediately. Brennan: What hasnt changed about HIV since Magics diagnosis I mean, again, we dont want to undersell how important it was that he came out, that he became an advocate for more resources and attention. He grabs every bit of life. Magic Johnson's Wife Cookie Johnson; Their Married Life. Cookie Johnsons repertoire isnt just limited to speeches that inspire people. Magic Johnson stands with his parents and NBA Commissioner Larry OBrien after being selected No. So in addition to the scary elements of the illness and the horrific images that came out of it, the stigma and the fear that surrounded it just tripled the impact that it had on the general public. On April 19, 1979, the Lakers and Chicago Bulls had engaged in a coin flip to determine which team would be gifted with the number one pick in the upcoming draft. Brennan: So Magic changed the face of the AIDS crisis. One month after their wedding, Magic was diagnosed with HIV. They have a son, EJ, and adopted a girl, Elisa, in 1995. Magic Johnson only has three confirmed children in real life. He looked people in the eye, shook hands, talked about basketball as if he were describing a beautiful woman. The reason I live today, and the reason I work as hard today, is for my wife and my family.. He married Cookie and turned her into The Magic Johnson Foundations most tireless worker. He said, This woman here, God let me know why I married her, why he brought us together. Were still those kids from Michigan. You can purchase the book here. Brennan: What were talking about when were talking about those disparities is who has power and who doesnt. In a recent post, it was obvious that the family is a close-knit one that still adores one another after being through so much. Magic Johnson, right, deals blackjack at a March 1992 event to raise money for the newly formed Magic Johnson Foundation to fund education about HIV and AIDS. Does it persist to this day? There were other people who reacted in completely different ways, right? In the over 30 years since his diagnosis, Johnson and his wife, Cookie, have repeatedly affirmed that he contracted HIV through sexual intercourse. Fullilove: HIV/AIDS was, until the arrival of effective medications, a routinely fatal condition. I dont think thats really changed. He stated that Cookie and their unborn are safe from the disease and that he would dedicate his life to battle this deadly disease. Magic Johnson Explains How He and Wife Cookie Met At a You wanted to be around him. Magic Johnson has three children. Magic Johnson, as Arvin Johnson, Jr., (born August 14, 1959, Lansing, Michigan, U.S.), American basketball player who led the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers to five championships. 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