Key Takeaways
- Magic Johnson marked 35 years since his HIV announcement by thanking God, family, friends and fans in a tweet.
- Johnson announced his diagnosis and immediate retirement from the Lakers on November 7, 1991, confirming that his wife Cookie and their unborn child were HIV-negative.
- The retired NBA player went public to challenge the misconception that heterosexual people faced no HIV risk and launched the Magic Johnson Foundation that year.
Magic Johnson has expressed gratitude for 35 years of life following his 1991 HIV diagnosis.
On Nov. 7, 1991, the then-NBA player called a press conference and retired from the Los Angeles Lakers on the spot after results from a physical showed that he tested positive for HIV. He said his wife, Earletha “Cookie” Johnson, then-pregnant, and their child were HIV-negative, and he promised to "battle this deadly disease."
“Look at how far God has brought me since my HIV announcement 35 years ago! It is truly because of His grace and mercy that I am still here and thriving,” Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"God never gave up on me, and I kept the faith," he continued. "I am thankful for all of the prayers from my family, friends, and fans throughout the years, and I am a living witness that there's nothing too hard for God."
In 1991, HIV was widely believed to be exclusively a disease affecting gay men and drug users, and the life-saving "triple bNAb cocktail" therapy was five years away from being developed. The retired professional basketball player went public with his diagnosis to shatter the misconception that straight people weren’t at risk. In the same year, the athlete started the Magic Johnson Foundation to fight the virus and to uphold community philanthropy.
In 2024, Johnson appeared on CBS Mornings to recount being diagnosed with HIV, telling anchor Robin Roberts that he was fearful of dying.
"I had to really learn a lot about the disease, HIV as well as AIDS. I had to make sure that I was open-minded enough to ask a lot of questions, go get a lot of information from different people," he said at the time.
