#MAGIC AND COOKIE JOHNSON FULL#

He also kept the HIV in check by taking care of his body and getting the requisite treatment. In the years after Magic’s playing career ended, he has become a successful businessman. But there was no greater pressure than driving home to tell her.” I’ve been in nine Finals, so I know pressure. I’ve played against some of the best basketball players in the world, right? I’ve been in championships. He said, “It was hard because I loved her so much, and I hated to hurt her. In a 2021 interview, Magic discussed telling Cookie about his diagnosis.

However, he resigned once the season ended, returning as a player in 1996 for one season. Magic still played in the 1992 Olympics and, in 1994, returned to the Lakers as a coach. A few years after that, Magic accused Isiah Thomas, a player with the Detroit Pistons, of spreading rumors about Magic being gay or bisexual. As a result, he spoke openly about being with many women during his playing career, later being criticized for his promiscuity. There were rumors regarding Magic’s sexuality. In 1991, the world was still learning about HIV and AIDS, and many were uneducated about the disease. … Of course, I will miss the battles and the wars, and I will miss you guys. But he was optimistic, saying, “I plan on going on, living for a long time, bugging you guys like I always have. In one of the most pivotal moments in basketball history, Magic announced that he would retire with immediate effect because he had tested HIV positive. Before that, Magic made sure some of his fellow players knew it by calling them and letting them know. He called for a press conference on November 7, 1991. Then, Magic had to deal with telling the rest of the world about his diagnosis. But fortunately, both she and the child tested negative for the virus.

Magic remembered his reaction, “You just sit there and say, ‘What does this mean? Am I gonna die?'” He was also worried about his wife, Cookie, who was pregnant. Back then, he was in disbelief, asking for two more tests that eventually came back positive. Upon his return, Magic was told that he tested positive for HIV. At the time, Magic was in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the doctor didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. On October 24, 1991, he got a call from the Lakers physician asking him to come home right away. Magic had a routine physical exam shortly before the 1991-1992 NBA season. Believing in Magic is her very personal story of survival and triumph as a wife, mother, and faith-filled woman.How and When Did Magic Johnson Contract HIV?

Never before has Cookie shared her full account of the reasons she stayed and her life with Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Believing in Magic is the story of Cookie’s marriage to Earvin-nearly four decades of loving each other, losing their way, and eventually finding a path they never imagined.

Twenty-five years later, Cookie Johnson shares her story and the emotional journey that started on that day-from life as a pregnant and joyous newlywed to one filled with the fear that her husband would die, that she and her baby would be infected with the virus, and that their family would be shunned. For the millions who watched, his announcement became a pivotal moment not only for the nation, but for his family and wife. On November 7, 1991, basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson stunned the world with the news that he was HIV-positive.

In her powerful and inspiring memoir, Cookie Johnson, wife of NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, shares details of her marriage, motherhood, faith, and how an HIV diagnosis twenty-five years ago changed the course of their lives forever.

#MAGIC AND COOKIE JOHNSON FULL#

Magic and cookie johnson