WEBVTT 00:00:02.294 --> 00:00:03.337 Magic and Michael. 00:00:03.420 --> 00:00:05.506 Four quarters a game, seven games, if necessary, 00:00:05.589 --> 00:00:06.965 for the pro basketball title. 00:00:07.966 --> 00:00:10.344 These are two masters of the game, Magic and Michael. 00:00:10.427 --> 00:00:12.137 For all the marbles this time. 00:00:12.763 --> 00:00:14.264 It was him and I. 00:00:14.806 --> 00:00:17.935 This is the first time we were gonna face off against each other. 00:00:18.018 --> 00:00:19.895 It's a showdown between two legends. 00:00:19.978 --> 00:00:23.357 LA's Magic Johnson and Chicago's Michael Jordan. 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:24.816 If you're at the top of the mountain, 00:00:25.275 --> 00:00:27.402 there's no way you want someone to push you off that mountain. 00:00:27.986 --> 00:00:31.198 You gonna fight, you gonna fight until you get pushed off that mountain. 00:00:31.782 --> 00:00:33.158 And that's where Magic was. 00:00:33.242 --> 00:00:35.536 He was-- He was top of the mountain for me. 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:37.412 'Cause all your energy has been generated 00:00:37.496 --> 00:00:41.917 just to try to beat one guy, beat that one guy. 00:00:42.835 --> 00:00:48.799 As a competitor, I wasn't gonna give up the crown easily. 00:01:46.607 --> 00:01:49.651 Listen, I knew in my heart who I was gonna marry. 00:01:49.735 --> 00:01:53.238 I wasn't ready to be married, but I knew I would always marry Cookie. 00:01:53.389 --> 00:01:55.391 I said, "I think that the problem is-- 00:01:55.474 --> 00:01:57.143 The reason why we can't get married is 00:01:57.226 --> 00:02:00.396 'cause we're not even used to living in the same city." 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.024 All these years, it was long distance. 00:02:04.108 --> 00:02:06.444 I said, "So we need to learn to live in the same city. 00:02:06.527 --> 00:02:11.323 I'll only do it if I have a job and I have my own apartment, 00:02:11.407 --> 00:02:13.784 you know, so I can still have my independence." 00:02:15.828 --> 00:02:20.332 Some of us might have been a little upset that she was going back, 00:02:20.416 --> 00:02:23.419 drinking the Kool-Aid again, you know? It's like 00:02:24.128 --> 00:02:26.505 "Don't you remember what happened before?" 00:02:28.466 --> 00:02:30.134 That was the first year 00:02:30.676 --> 00:02:35.765 that he invited me to go to the playoffs. 00:02:36.807 --> 00:02:42.521 In all of the other championships that he played in, I was never there. 00:02:43.105 --> 00:02:45.983 So finally, when they were in the championship against Chicago, 00:02:46.859 --> 00:02:48.277 he allowed me to go. 00:02:49.028 --> 00:02:51.739 I was super excited about the playoffs. 00:02:51.822 --> 00:02:55.159 I mean, this was, you know, the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan. 00:02:57.411 --> 00:03:01.832 I don't think we went through a season where we felt we weren't the best team. 00:03:01.916 --> 00:03:05.169 I mean, that's just the arrogance and the confidence we had about our team. 00:03:05.252 --> 00:03:07.213 And we went into Chicago feeling that way. 00:03:07.296 --> 00:03:10.383 And the opening tip controlled by the LA Lakers 00:03:10.466 --> 00:03:13.511 as Magic Johnson against Michael Jordan. 00:03:13.594 --> 00:03:15.721 They were good. I mean, Chicago was good 00:03:16.347 --> 00:03:19.475 but they had never been to the finals before. 00:03:19.558 --> 00:03:21.769 If you've never been there, you don't know what it's like. 00:03:22.395 --> 00:03:23.562 It's somewhat of a disadvantage. 00:03:24.146 --> 00:03:27.233 This is the first time we had the chance to go against a juggernaut. 00:03:28.025 --> 00:03:30.945 And we were nervous going into the game. 00:03:32.488 --> 00:03:35.950 I was feeling good. We won game one. 00:03:36.033 --> 00:03:38.577 A.C. Green back on the floor for the Lakers. 00:03:38.661 --> 00:03:39.704 Magic. 00:03:40.329 --> 00:03:43.123 We expect this. We're back in the finals. 00:03:43.207 --> 00:03:44.332 This is what we do. 00:03:45.584 --> 00:03:46.711 We win big games. 00:03:48.003 --> 00:03:50.047 Game two. Let's go. Let's get it on right now. 00:03:51.590 --> 00:03:53.259 And then they won four straight. 00:03:54.677 --> 00:03:57.930 Final seconds. Magic's three-point attempt blocked. 00:03:58.013 --> 00:03:59.390 Pippen comes away with it. 00:03:59.974 --> 00:04:05.688 And the Chicago Bulls have won their first-ever NBA championship. 00:04:09.191 --> 00:04:11.152 Magic's not gonna go down just to go down. 00:04:11.235 --> 00:04:14.780 You have to go take something from him because he's been there many times before. 00:04:14.864 --> 00:04:18.451 And, you know, we went, and we took it. 00:04:18.534 --> 00:04:21.078 I tried to get to him on the floor, but I couldn't. 00:04:21.162 --> 00:04:23.080 'Cause I wanted to congratulate him. 00:04:23.164 --> 00:04:27.334 He came in our locker room, he gave me the biggest hug, you know? 00:04:27.418 --> 00:04:30.254 He congratulated me, and he wished me well. 00:04:31.213 --> 00:04:33.674 When he hugged me, he just started crying. 00:04:33.758 --> 00:04:37.845 It was a beautiful moment for both of us to see the joy. 00:04:38.721 --> 00:04:42.141 And I wanted to say, "Hey, congratulations on winning your first championship." 00:04:42.224 --> 00:04:46.270 He didn't have to do it. You know? From a competitive standpoint. 00:04:46.771 --> 00:04:48.564 But he understood what it meant. 00:04:48.647 --> 00:04:50.149 He understood the respect of it, 00:04:50.232 --> 00:04:53.944 that, okay, you entered into this club, 00:04:54.028 --> 00:04:55.905 this Larry Bird, Magic Johnson club. 00:04:56.864 --> 00:04:59.158 That shows the true champion that he really is. 00:04:59.241 --> 00:05:02.161 Michael Jordan is the unanimous MVP. 00:05:02.244 --> 00:05:06.957 Is there a feeling of a passing of the torch, Magic Johnson to you? 00:05:07.041 --> 00:05:08.626 It was Michael Jordan saying, 00:05:08.709 --> 00:05:12.129 "Hey, man. Why don't you hand over the baton?" 00:05:12.213 --> 00:05:14.799 And Magic's like "I don't know. I don't know." 00:05:14.882 --> 00:05:17.343 He was trying to hang on to it just a little bit longer. 00:05:18.219 --> 00:05:19.929 I do have to admit it was their turn. 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:25.101 But, man, it's painful for me to lose. 00:05:26.227 --> 00:05:28.979 I said, "Okay. We're gonna come back next year and win." 00:05:29.647 --> 00:05:33.859 Even though we lost, for us it was a good thing. 00:05:33.943 --> 00:05:35.277 That was a good experience 00:05:35.361 --> 00:05:40.282 for him to understand that now you can invite me into this part of your life. 00:05:41.061 --> 00:05:42.562 You know? You need to grow up. 00:05:42.646 --> 00:05:44.731 You can't be-- You shouldn't be doing these things. 00:05:44.814 --> 00:05:47.609 And I kept talking to him, going, "I can't believe you're doing it." 00:05:47.692 --> 00:05:50.612 He's like, "I can't believe you're making a big deal over nothing." 00:05:51.863 --> 00:05:53.907 So we had this huge fight again. 00:05:54.449 --> 00:05:56.743 "Well, if you give this party, that's it." 00:05:57.702 --> 00:05:59.663 I stood my ground, he stood his ground. 00:06:00.497 --> 00:06:02.791 My head goes, "You don't want to be a part of this. 00:06:02.874 --> 00:06:04.417 You don't want to go through this. 00:06:04.501 --> 00:06:06.586 You know, maybe it's a sign. 00:06:08.380 --> 00:06:09.589 He's not gonna change." 00:06:11.841 --> 00:06:13.385 That was it. We were done. 00:06:15.470 --> 00:06:17.806 I didn't think she would actually leave. 00:06:19.474 --> 00:06:20.934 This stung me so bad. 00:06:26.273 --> 00:06:29.818 After the season, I always used to go to the Bahamas 00:06:29.901 --> 00:06:31.444 and go to sleep for a week 00:06:31.945 --> 00:06:35.782 and let my body heal and my mind rest. 00:06:39.035 --> 00:06:41.663 Cookie had been through a lot. No question about it. 00:06:41.746 --> 00:06:43.748 But she deserved so much more. 00:06:45.417 --> 00:06:49.462 She didn't deserve me asking her to marry me 00:06:49.546 --> 00:06:52.257 and then breaking the engagement, what, three times. 00:06:53.008 --> 00:06:55.844 She didn't deserve that. She was a better woman than that. 00:06:56.595 --> 00:06:59.055 When you talk about soul mates 00:07:04.477 --> 00:07:06.146 She was the perfect woman for me. 00:07:10.483 --> 00:07:12.903 And then my father called me up and told me, 00:07:12.986 --> 00:07:15.196 he said, "Junior, you better marry that girl. 00:07:15.780 --> 00:07:17.824 God blessed you with this woman, man. 00:07:17.908 --> 00:07:20.994 You gonna make a mistake. The biggest mistake of your life." 00:07:23.246 --> 00:07:24.706 Then I get a phone call. 00:07:25.915 --> 00:07:27.876 He said, "I think I can do this." 00:07:27.958 --> 00:07:30.754 I said, "Okay. The only way we can do this, if we-- 00:07:30.837 --> 00:07:34.716 When you get back, we fly directly to Vegas, get married, 00:07:34.799 --> 00:07:36.301 and just get it over with." 00:07:36.384 --> 00:07:37.719 I said, "I don't need a wedding." 00:07:38.887 --> 00:07:41.056 At this point, I was just at my wit's end. 00:07:42.057 --> 00:07:43.183 I said, "Let's do this." 00:07:43.266 --> 00:07:46.394 She said, "I want a short engagement. 00:07:46.478 --> 00:07:50.398 We got to do it now before you change your mind." 00:07:50.482 --> 00:07:52.442 I said, "I am not changing my mind." 00:07:58.615 --> 00:08:01.284 I remember thinking, "What if he doesn't show up?" 00:08:02.494 --> 00:08:06.414 I'm still scared that he's not gonna go through with this 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.417 because he's done it so many times. 00:08:09.501 --> 00:08:13.004 It's like that movie The Runaway Bride. He was the runaway groom. 00:08:14.422 --> 00:08:18.385 My dress was almost two sizes too big for me 00:08:19.302 --> 00:08:21.805 because I had lost so much weight from stress. 00:08:25.267 --> 00:08:28.770 I was so nervous and, like, all my girlfriends were calming me down. 00:08:28.853 --> 00:08:29.980 "He's coming, don't worry." 00:08:33.367 --> 00:08:35.578 At that point, we were kinda like, "Okay. 00:08:36.329 --> 00:08:39.707 When we get there, if it's still on, it's still on." 00:08:40.291 --> 00:08:44.420 -Right. Right. -You know? And then 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:48.549 -And then it was. -It was. It was amazing. 00:08:49.425 --> 00:08:52.303 I kept her waiting for a long time. 00:08:52.386 --> 00:08:54.680 And to be at home in Michigan, 00:08:54.764 --> 00:08:59.268 to have our family and friends and the whole state watching, 00:09:00.520 --> 00:09:01.938 it was going to be great. 00:09:03.773 --> 00:09:06.025 I was standing in the back of the church with my father, 00:09:06.109 --> 00:09:07.944 and they opened the doors, 00:09:08.986 --> 00:09:10.363 and I couldn't move. 00:09:11.614 --> 00:09:13.866 'Cause I was still thinking, "What if?" 00:09:17.203 --> 00:09:20.289 And my dad goes, "You okay? You gonna do this?" 00:09:21.457 --> 00:09:24.001 Took a deep breath and walked down the aisle. 00:09:26.587 --> 00:09:28.798 When I saw her looking so beautiful, 00:09:30.341 --> 00:09:31.843 I just started crying. 00:09:33.010 --> 00:09:34.679 It was a beautiful moment. 00:09:35.179 --> 00:09:37.974 -Cookie looked like a princess. -Yeah, she did. 00:09:38.057 --> 00:09:41.185 She's just beautiful. And Earvin even. 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:44.814 -You could almost see -Yeah, exhale. 00:09:44.897 --> 00:09:46.065 Right. Right. Right. 00:09:46.149 --> 00:09:49.777 Like, "I got her. Everything is right. It's all right." 00:09:50.319 --> 00:09:55.032 I now pronounce you husband and wife. 00:09:55.283 --> 00:09:57.326 You may kiss the bride. 00:09:57.966 --> 00:09:59.259 was an awesome feeling. 00:10:10.037 --> 00:10:13.415 Since we were going to Paris with the Lakers 00:10:13.499 --> 00:10:15.709 to play some of the French teams, 00:10:15.793 --> 00:10:18.504 we just said, "Hey, we might as well make that our honeymoon." 00:10:21.676 --> 00:10:25.012 Cookie and I are doing some honeymooning, some sightseeing. 00:10:25.513 --> 00:10:29.308 At night, we get to walk and really enjoy one another. 00:10:29.392 --> 00:10:31.852 And it took us really back to, like, our college days. 00:10:31.936 --> 00:10:35.314 I had gotten off the pill, you know, months ahead 00:10:35.398 --> 00:10:37.358 because we were planning to get married, whatever. 00:10:37.441 --> 00:10:40.611 While we were in Paris, I thought I saw some signs. 00:10:40.695 --> 00:10:42.405 Maybe let's take a test. 00:10:42.488 --> 00:10:45.157 But we couldn't read it 'cause it was in French. 00:10:45.241 --> 00:10:47.576 So one of the maids came in to clean the room, 00:10:47.660 --> 00:10:49.203 and I showed her the little stick, 00:10:49.286 --> 00:10:50.287 and she-- I go 00:10:50.746 --> 00:10:52.665 And she goes, "Oui, oui!" 00:10:56.127 --> 00:10:59.755 I was so happy because this is what we both wanted, 00:10:59.839 --> 00:11:02.466 to have a kid together. 00:11:03.342 --> 00:11:06.846 I finally got married to Cookie, and she's pregnant now. 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:10.141 And now it's time to start getting ready for the season. 00:11:11.767 --> 00:11:15.146 Now the mission is to beat the Bulls. 00:11:15.229 --> 00:11:18.899 We felt, "Man, this is-- This team we got right now-- 00:11:18.983 --> 00:11:20.568 Yeah, we'll be back in the finals." 00:11:21.777 --> 00:11:24.488 So we're six games into an eight-game preseason. 00:11:26.198 --> 00:11:30.619 We fly to Salt Lake. Go to the hotel. 00:11:30.703 --> 00:11:33.039 I have these messages to call the office. 00:11:34.248 --> 00:11:36.792 And I get on with Jerry, and it's, "Send Magic home." 00:11:37.460 --> 00:11:38.461 "Why?" 00:11:38.961 --> 00:11:40.921 "I can't tell you that, but we need him home." 00:11:42.423 --> 00:11:43.424 "Now." 00:11:45.301 --> 00:11:49.430 Jerry's never really, like, spoken to me that way. 00:11:50.014 --> 00:11:52.308 Like "I know something that I want you to know." 00:11:52.808 --> 00:11:55.061 So I say, "Okay." I call him. 00:11:55.144 --> 00:11:57.021 I said, "Listen, you're going home." 00:11:57.104 --> 00:12:00.024 And I say, "Well, okay. For what?" 00:12:00.107 --> 00:12:03.235 And he said, "Well, I don't know. He just said you got to come home." 00:12:03.319 --> 00:12:05.821 I said, "We're going home right after the game, 00:12:05.905 --> 00:12:07.448 so why don't I see him tomorrow?" 00:12:07.531 --> 00:12:09.283 He said, "No, you got to come home now." 00:12:09.367 --> 00:12:12.328 I get a call from Dr. Mellman. He goes, 00:12:12.411 --> 00:12:15.331 "He's got to come back from Utah." I go, "Why?" He goes, "I can't tell you." 00:12:16.415 --> 00:12:19.168 "Earvin has to come home." "Can he play?" "Nope, can't play. 00:12:20.628 --> 00:12:23.506 He's gotta come home. Can't participate. 00:12:24.090 --> 00:12:26.050 I'll see him in my office when he gets here." 00:12:26.133 --> 00:12:28.177 We're in Utah, and Magic's supposed to play. 00:12:28.260 --> 00:12:32.473 And then we get to the arena, and Magic's not there. 00:12:32.556 --> 00:12:33.766 They say he went back to LA. 00:12:33.849 --> 00:12:35.559 Had the flu, had a cold. Something like that. 00:12:35.643 --> 00:12:38.604 We already did his preseason physical exam. 00:12:38.688 --> 00:12:40.981 Anything that would have come up 00:12:42.274 --> 00:12:44.735 would have come up on his preseason physical exam. 00:12:44.819 --> 00:12:47.071 Cancer? I mean, what's he got? 00:12:50.533 --> 00:12:53.786 I went straight to Dr. Mellman's office. 00:12:55.329 --> 00:12:57.415 So, I think his office was on the third floor. 00:12:58.749 --> 00:13:00.835 It was like 5:30 at this point. 00:13:00.918 --> 00:13:02.253 Nobody's in the waiting room. 00:13:04.005 --> 00:13:06.298 And then Dr. Mellman opens up the door 00:13:06.382 --> 00:13:08.134 and goes, "Hey, Earvin, why don't you come in?" 00:13:10.136 --> 00:13:14.473 I can close my eyes and recreate what my office looked like 00:13:14.557 --> 00:13:16.976 and where he and Lon sat. 00:13:17.643 --> 00:13:20.396 Sat down and, you know, 00:13:20.479 --> 00:13:23.566 I could tell something was wrong, 'cause he had a look on his face. 00:13:23.649 --> 00:13:26.027 And he kind of opens up his desk drawer 00:13:26.110 --> 00:13:30.072 and pulls out a FedEx envelope and pulls out the document. 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:32.324 And he 00:13:39.582 --> 00:13:44.879 And he said, "I got some unfortunate news that you have HIV." 00:13:55.681 --> 00:13:57.350 I just sat there quiet. 00:13:59.185 --> 00:14:00.644 I was in disbelief 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.106 just stunned. 00:14:07.735 --> 00:14:09.111 I said, "Are you sure?" 00:14:12.573 --> 00:14:14.325 Once I got myself together, it was like, 00:14:14.408 --> 00:14:16.410 "Okay, well-- So what does this mean? 00:14:17.495 --> 00:14:18.871 Am I gonna die?" 00:14:24.877 --> 00:14:30.007 And he said, "Well, we don't quite know yet." 00:14:30.591 --> 00:14:33.636 "And, you know, these are my concerns. 00:14:33.719 --> 00:14:35.471 I've got a wife. She's pregnant. 00:14:35.554 --> 00:14:36.722 What do I tell her?" 00:14:38.599 --> 00:14:42.061 We were gonna have this fairy-tale life, 00:14:42.144 --> 00:14:45.773 and now I get this devastating news. 00:14:45.856 --> 00:14:48.651 So I'm sitting here in this chair like, "Oh, my goodness. 00:14:49.151 --> 00:14:51.028 How am I gonna go home and tell her this?" 00:14:55.408 --> 00:14:58.828 I knew that this was going to destroy her, just hurt her. 00:15:07.503 --> 00:15:10.548 I was home preparing to watch the game, 00:15:10.631 --> 00:15:11.632 and the phone rang. 00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:13.300 And it was Earvin. 00:15:13.884 --> 00:15:20.558 He said, "I'm on my way home, and I'll tell you why when I get there." 00:15:22.018 --> 00:15:25.396 I knew it had to be serious if he wasn't playing in that game. 00:15:26.814 --> 00:15:28.648 It was an agonizing wait. 00:15:32.236 --> 00:15:35.239 Probably the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. 00:15:36.323 --> 00:15:41.454 You know, to tell somebody that you love 00:15:42.163 --> 00:15:45.958 and somebody who loves you 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.881 When he walked in the door, he looked at me, 00:15:51.964 --> 00:15:54.842 and he said, "We need to talk." 00:15:56.677 --> 00:15:59.930 And he said, "I don't know any other way to say it but to say it. 00:16:01.140 --> 00:16:04.629 I tested positive for the HIV virus, the virus that causes AIDS." 00:16:05.061 --> 00:16:06.729 that just broke my heart. 00:16:06.813 --> 00:16:08.231 You know? Just broke my heart. 00:16:10.178 --> 00:16:12.180 Then she, "Well, what does that mean for me? 00:16:12.263 --> 00:16:14.807 What does that mean for the baby?" And I can't answer that. 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:17.894 Oh, my God. My baby. 00:16:21.189 --> 00:16:22.732 What about my baby? 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:28.321 What's gonna happen to my baby? 00:16:31.282 --> 00:16:34.035 I said, "Oh, no. No." 00:16:35.077 --> 00:16:36.787 I said, "You gotta be kidding." 00:16:38.581 --> 00:16:40.166 At that time, didn't nobody know. 00:16:41.125 --> 00:16:42.502 All they knew, it was death. 00:16:42.585 --> 00:16:44.253 We was getting ready to have dinner, 00:16:44.337 --> 00:16:47.798 and I got my purse and got in my car. 00:16:47.882 --> 00:16:49.550 And I just cried. 00:16:49.634 --> 00:16:52.303 And I just prayed, and I cried, and I prayed. 00:16:53.137 --> 00:16:56.140 It's like somebody hit me in the stomach with a rod. 00:16:56.467 --> 00:16:59.345 And I said, "Lord, don't take my child. 00:16:59.428 --> 00:17:01.513 Don't take my child, Lord. Please don't take him." 00:17:03.766 --> 00:17:07.311 I cried. I just had to have a moment, you know, to myself. 00:17:07.394 --> 00:17:08.395 And. 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.690 The phone rang. My mom was on the phone for a while. 00:17:12.191 --> 00:17:14.902 And then she said, "Your dad wants to talk to you." 00:17:15.945 --> 00:17:18.739 And I remember him just trying to explain it. 00:17:18.822 --> 00:17:21.784 Like, "You know, I've contracted this HIV. 00:17:21.867 --> 00:17:23.452 Doctors don't know a lot about it. 00:17:23.953 --> 00:17:25.287 I'm gonna be okay." 00:17:25.371 --> 00:17:29.625 Then talking to my mom. Just trying to figure it out, what it is. 00:17:29.708 --> 00:17:34.421 You talk to doctors. Doctors are saying, "Spend as much time with him as you can 00:17:34.505 --> 00:17:39.593 because he's not-- probably not gonna live more than a few years." 00:17:44.098 --> 00:17:48.435 We got up the next morning, went to the doctor's office. 00:17:49.103 --> 00:17:50.479 And he tested me. 00:17:51.355 --> 00:17:53.440 It took days to get your results back. 00:17:55.109 --> 00:17:58.279 That was agonizing, not knowing. 00:17:58.946 --> 00:18:00.948 That was the worst time in my life, 00:18:01.031 --> 00:18:03.576 just waiting and waiting and thinking 00:18:04.569 --> 00:18:08.073 about my parents, my brothers and sisters, my son Andre. 00:18:08.656 --> 00:18:10.992 Do I have to get my affairs in order? 00:18:11.743 --> 00:18:13.953 I thought I was facing death. 00:18:14.913 --> 00:18:17.040 I didn't sleep. I was just thinking about 00:18:19.042 --> 00:18:22.504 "Is this the last time that she gonna be in my arms?" 00:18:26.466 --> 00:18:28.426 Him and Cookie drove over. 00:18:29.094 --> 00:18:31.179 They pull up, and the door opens. 00:18:33.598 --> 00:18:34.682 Nothing but tears. 00:18:35.266 --> 00:18:37.310 I mean, what do you say? What do you do? 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:40.146 And Earvin goes, "Okay, let's you and I go. 00:18:40.688 --> 00:18:42.607 We'll go for a walk to the beach." 00:18:43.191 --> 00:18:47.445 We just start walking, and he just starts talking. 00:18:49.364 --> 00:18:51.825 And I was telling him, "If anything happens, 00:18:51.908 --> 00:18:54.160 you know, you make sure you take care of my family." 00:18:55.120 --> 00:18:57.539 "I guess I gotta stop playing basketball." 00:18:57.622 --> 00:19:01.960 And at one point, he said, "I don't know if I want to live. 00:19:02.043 --> 00:19:04.212 I might just end it. I might just--" 00:19:13.805 --> 00:19:16.474 His blood was sent to a doctor, Dr. David Ho 00:19:16.558 --> 00:19:18.476 at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Institute. 00:19:18.977 --> 00:19:23.273 I got involved with HIV/AIDS way back in 1980. 00:19:23.356 --> 00:19:25.358 I grew up in Los Angeles, 00:19:25.442 --> 00:19:29.988 and ever since I was a teenager, I've been a Los Angeles Laker fan. 00:19:30.071 --> 00:19:33.032 And so, who wouldn't know who Magic was? 00:19:34.784 --> 00:19:37.620 He called, and he said, "Earvin's very ill. 00:19:37.704 --> 00:19:39.622 His T cell count is 203." 00:19:40.248 --> 00:19:44.544 At that point, you're on what's called "the line." 00:19:44.627 --> 00:19:46.045 At 200, you're AIDS. 00:19:46.129 --> 00:19:47.964 It was of great concern. 00:19:48.047 --> 00:19:51.342 Obviously, that is near the limit 00:19:51.426 --> 00:19:55.138 below which he would be prone to a number of infections. 00:19:55.221 --> 00:19:57.974 And talked about life expectancy. 00:19:58.057 --> 00:20:00.310 Two, three years at the most. 00:20:00.393 --> 00:20:01.603 I wasn't optimistic 00:20:01.686 --> 00:20:06.691 that a T cell count in the 200s would sustain him for another five years. 00:20:06.775 --> 00:20:12.363 T cells help the immune system to respond to certain infections, 00:20:12.447 --> 00:20:16.701 to make antibodies, to make other killer T cell responses. 00:20:17.368 --> 00:20:20.663 So by depleting this cell population, 00:20:20.747 --> 00:20:25.168 HIV sort of zeroes in on the orchestrator of the immune response. 00:20:25.251 --> 00:20:29.756 And therefore, a person cannot control the assault 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:33.718 from the various pathogens that we have in our environment. 00:20:33.802 --> 00:20:38.473 I have been involved in the response to this pandemic 00:20:38.556 --> 00:20:43.144 literally since the first few weeks that we knew it was a new disease. 00:20:43.770 --> 00:20:47.607 The advances over the last ten years in molecular biology 00:20:47.690 --> 00:20:50.110 have allowed scientists here at the NIH 00:20:50.193 --> 00:20:53.238 and in NIH-supported universities throughout the country 00:20:53.780 --> 00:20:58.785 to be able to, as we call it, map the genome of the AIDS virus. 00:20:58.868 --> 00:21:01.663 That was a critical time, 1991, 00:21:01.746 --> 00:21:04.541 because we didn't have the optimal drugs then. 00:21:04.624 --> 00:21:09.003 If you were diagnosed early, you could get lucky. 00:21:09.087 --> 00:21:14.217 My advice was, let's use the current drugs to slow things down 00:21:14.300 --> 00:21:17.220 to preserve your immune system as much as possible. 00:21:17.303 --> 00:21:21.474 And a little bit down the line, there would be better drugs available. 00:21:21.558 --> 00:21:24.394 We only had one drug at that time, AZT. 00:21:24.477 --> 00:21:30.191 And you had to take five, three times a day. 00:21:30.275 --> 00:21:32.610 So, it was taking its toll. 00:21:32.694 --> 00:21:37.282 AZT caused a lot of nausea, vomiting, anemia. 00:21:37.365 --> 00:21:41.661 What we didn't know was whether extreme physical exertion 00:21:41.745 --> 00:21:44.247 that would take place in a professional athlete 00:21:44.330 --> 00:21:46.124 would be harmful to his health. 00:21:47.125 --> 00:21:50.211 Dr. Ho said, "He can't play basketball anymore. 00:21:51.129 --> 00:21:52.589 You're done with basketball." 00:21:53.965 --> 00:21:56.009 He didn't even tell his teammates. 00:21:56.092 --> 00:21:57.761 So, Earvin, Cookie, and I spoke. 00:21:57.844 --> 00:21:59.512 And first, Cookie was, 00:22:00.388 --> 00:22:01.723 "We're not gonna go public with this. 00:22:01.806 --> 00:22:03.892 We're just gonna say he's retiring from basketball." 00:22:03.975 --> 00:22:06.686 I can handle, you know, fighting this thing one day at a time, 00:22:06.770 --> 00:22:08.229 you know, with you privately, 00:22:08.313 --> 00:22:11.775 but I was not okay with telling the entire world. 00:22:13.151 --> 00:22:16.446 If you tell people, then people are gonna start treating us differently. 00:22:17.447 --> 00:22:19.949 They're not gonna, you know, want us around. 00:22:20.033 --> 00:22:23.828 They're gonna be scared to touch us. You know things like that. 00:22:23.912 --> 00:22:26.164 You're supposed to be forthcoming with the press 00:22:26.247 --> 00:22:28.666 and keep them apprised of what's going on. 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:30.835 You don't have to tell them everything that's going on. 00:22:30.919 --> 00:22:35.507 But this was gonna be a national story, world story. 00:22:36.049 --> 00:22:37.509 "What are we gonna say?" 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.969 Because everybody's asking me. 00:22:40.553 --> 00:22:42.472 "We're gonna tell 'em that we have the flu." 00:22:42.555 --> 00:22:45.433 In sports, it's opening night for the NBA. 00:22:45.517 --> 00:22:47.727 The regular season tips off with 12 games. 00:22:47.811 --> 00:22:51.147 And the big question is, can Air Jordan keep Chicago soaring? 00:22:51.231 --> 00:22:53.566 Johnson appeared at practice two days ago 00:22:53.650 --> 00:22:56.611 after missing the Lakers' first three games due to the flu. 00:22:56.694 --> 00:22:59.948 He spoke to the press, saying he expects to be back in play soon. 00:23:00.031 --> 00:23:03.410 You don't wanna pull something or hurt yourself 00:23:03.493 --> 00:23:05.245 because you haven't been practicing. 00:23:05.328 --> 00:23:08.915 So, since I haven't been practicing, I had to get some practice time in. 00:23:08.998 --> 00:23:11.209 Make sure that I get in some kind of shape. 00:23:11.292 --> 00:23:12.710 Looking around, I already-- 00:23:12.794 --> 00:23:14.754 -You feel better, man? -I feel better. I feel better. 00:23:14.838 --> 00:23:16.423 -You playing tonight? -I gotta miss you tonight. 00:23:16.506 --> 00:23:18.091 -You gonna miss me? -I'm gonna miss you tonight. 00:23:18.174 --> 00:23:20.427 -Well, I see you Christmas. -for tonight, man. 00:23:20.510 --> 00:23:22.303 You got it. Man, how you doing, baby? 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.141 I mean, there was questions every day. 00:23:26.224 --> 00:23:29.811 And as each day passed, 00:23:29.894 --> 00:23:35.150 there were greater doubts about the flu story. 00:23:35.233 --> 00:23:37.444 Eyebrows were raised among the media. 00:23:38.653 --> 00:23:40.029 Wanting to be respectful 00:23:40.113 --> 00:23:43.324 and wanting to believe everything that we were being told, 00:23:43.408 --> 00:23:45.827 but also realizing, "Wait a minute." 00:23:47.036 --> 00:23:49.205 We don't track down every single thing. 00:23:49.289 --> 00:23:52.876 If somebody bruises a fingernail or something like that 00:23:53.543 --> 00:23:57.589 or has a bad stomachache, we don't really think it's something else. 00:23:57.672 --> 00:24:00.925 But there was more to this than met the eye. 00:24:01.009 --> 00:24:02.302 People would kind of-- 00:24:03.052 --> 00:24:06.723 Just kind of whisper, and go, "No, no. I'm sure it's nothing." 00:24:06.806 --> 00:24:08.266 I have to lie to my family. 00:24:08.767 --> 00:24:12.437 I have to lie to my team, my head coach. 00:24:12.520 --> 00:24:14.189 I had to lie to the world. Okay? 00:24:14.898 --> 00:24:16.900 We lied to the entire world. 00:24:16.983 --> 00:24:20.028 Every day I remember waking up with this fear, like, 00:24:20.528 --> 00:24:24.407 "Oh, my God. Today, it's still here." 00:24:24.949 --> 00:24:28.078 Every day, going, "Okay, but we gonna make it through this day. 00:24:28.161 --> 00:24:30.663 With the Lord, we gonna make it through this day. 00:24:30.747 --> 00:24:32.749 We got to have faith, and we can do this." 00:24:35.502 --> 00:24:37.670 So we went back in to get the results. 00:24:38.838 --> 00:24:40.673 I thought I was gonna pass out. 00:24:42.300 --> 00:24:45.512 They said, "The good news is, you don't have it. 00:24:45.595 --> 00:24:47.680 If you don't have it, the baby won't have it." 00:24:48.590 --> 00:24:53.178 Then I had to find somebody who's living with the disease 00:24:53.262 --> 00:24:59.852 that could help me understand what my journey is gonna be now. 00:25:00.978 --> 00:25:03.022 What is my everyday life going to be? 00:25:04.732 --> 00:25:06.025 I am honored to introduce 00:25:06.108 --> 00:25:08.277 a woman who has been an inspiration to millions, 00:25:08.777 --> 00:25:11.155 who has been living with HIV for 11 years, 00:25:11.822 --> 00:25:16.160 the cofounder of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser. Thank you. 00:25:16.300 --> 00:25:18.511 And I wanted Earvin to meet her. 00:25:19.262 --> 00:25:20.680 Eleven years ago 00:25:22.265 --> 00:25:25.351 while giving birth to my first child, 00:25:26.060 --> 00:25:31.440 I hemorrhaged and was transfused with seven pints of blood. 00:25:32.483 --> 00:25:37.780 Four years later, I found out that I had been infected with the AIDS virus 00:25:38.406 --> 00:25:42.451 and had unknowingly passed it to my daughter, Ariel, 00:25:42.535 --> 00:25:44.203 through my breast milk, 00:25:44.287 --> 00:25:46.831 and my son, Jake, in utero. 00:25:46.914 --> 00:25:48.875 I was having a conversation with Lon, 00:25:49.375 --> 00:25:53.004 really trying to decide what I was going to do, 00:25:53.087 --> 00:25:58.384 discussing the pros and cons of coming out, not coming out 00:25:59.927 --> 00:26:01.095 telling the world. 00:26:02.388 --> 00:26:05.057 I asked her. I said, "What should I do?" You know. 00:26:05.141 --> 00:26:09.187 And she wanted-- She didn't even hesitate. "You should go public with it." 00:26:10.188 --> 00:26:13.065 "I want you to become the face of the disease. 00:26:13.149 --> 00:26:16.486 I want you to become a face of AIDS. We need a face." 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:19.447 When we were told our medical situation-- 00:26:19.530 --> 00:26:25.828 our family had three members who had AIDS or were infected with the HIV virus-- 00:26:25.912 --> 00:26:31.083 our doctor said, "Don't tell anyone. The world is not ready for your family." 00:26:31.167 --> 00:26:34.420 She goes, "Magic Johnson's gonna save my son's life. 00:26:34.504 --> 00:26:36.422 I'm not gonna live. My daughter's dead. 00:26:37.381 --> 00:26:38.799 He's gonna save Jake's life. 00:26:39.342 --> 00:26:41.677 He's gonna put a name and a face to this." 00:26:41.761 --> 00:26:44.388 When we met her, she just gave us so much hope 00:26:45.223 --> 00:26:46.891 just by being in her presence. 00:26:46.974 --> 00:26:48.684 Because she was mad, and she was just like, 00:26:48.768 --> 00:26:50.686 "Get involved as much as you can. 00:26:50.770 --> 00:26:53.898 Get involved with them, you know, trying to find a cure. 00:26:53.981 --> 00:26:56.442 Get involved with supporting people who have it. 00:26:56.526 --> 00:27:00.279 You know, just, you know, get involved. You know, care." 00:27:01.405 --> 00:27:05.701 I realized that God puts people in a position for a purpose. 00:27:06.702 --> 00:27:09.413 And I believe his purpose was 00:27:09.497 --> 00:27:12.291 to be the face of this thing and to be out there 00:27:12.375 --> 00:27:15.461 and try to support and save as many people as possible. 00:27:15.545 --> 00:27:17.505 So that night in my house on November 6th, we said, 00:27:17.588 --> 00:27:20.132 "We're gonna do a press conference on Friday, November 8th. 00:27:20.216 --> 00:27:21.717 We need a day to put it together." 00:27:22.301 --> 00:27:24.512 Great. Done. 00:27:25.638 --> 00:27:29.225 Gives Earvin time, gives us all time to properly plan this. 00:27:33.646 --> 00:27:35.106 Normal day, right? 00:27:35.189 --> 00:27:37.817 Get ready for a press conference the next day. I go to my office early. 00:27:38.568 --> 00:27:43.990 And about 9:00 in the morning, I get a call from a local radio reporter, 00:27:44.073 --> 00:27:48.703 and he says to me, "Lon, I have a report that Earvin has AIDS." 00:27:49.287 --> 00:27:51.581 I got called into the News Director's office. 00:27:51.664 --> 00:27:56.836 And the News Director says, "Okay, we have a tip. 00:27:57.420 --> 00:28:02.175 Magic has HIV, and he's gonna retire." 00:28:03.217 --> 00:28:04.594 Immediately I got on the phone. 00:28:04.677 --> 00:28:09.891 I said, "Randy, please do not release this information. 00:28:09.974 --> 00:28:11.434 I will call you back, 00:28:11.517 --> 00:28:14.061 but please do not release this information." 00:28:14.562 --> 00:28:16.564 "Tell me if there's anything to this." 00:28:18.149 --> 00:28:19.567 And he didn't say no. 00:28:20.443 --> 00:28:23.946 When that tip came in and it sounded so solid, 00:28:24.614 --> 00:28:26.282 that explained a lot of things. 00:28:26.365 --> 00:28:29.619 That explained why we aren't hearing anything about it. 00:28:29.702 --> 00:28:32.288 Why everything is shrouded in mystery. 00:28:32.872 --> 00:28:35.541 While I was in the car, we broke the story. 00:28:35.625 --> 00:28:39.170 I felt like my world was coming to an end. 00:28:39.962 --> 00:28:43.966 My friend is now gonna be public with this. 00:28:44.050 --> 00:28:45.551 We're at Loyola, practicing, 00:28:46.594 --> 00:28:50.473 and I get a call from Jerry West. 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:53.726 And Jerry says, "There's been a leak. 00:28:54.852 --> 00:29:00.733 And there's been a radio personality reporting that Magic's HIV positive. 00:29:00.817 --> 00:29:03.027 Get everybody out of the gym." 00:29:03.110 --> 00:29:06.489 So Gary Vitti comes out in the middle of practice and says, "Look 00:29:08.241 --> 00:29:12.537 You guys get in your car and go straight to the Forum. 00:29:12.620 --> 00:29:15.164 Don't stop. Don't talk to anybody." 00:29:16.958 --> 00:29:19.418 I said, "Listen, cancel everything. 00:29:20.169 --> 00:29:21.671 Meet back at the Forum. 00:29:23.130 --> 00:29:26.509 What you hear today will change your life." 00:29:28.136 --> 00:29:29.929 I go straight to the Forum. 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:34.225 They said, "Earvin's having a press conference. He'd like you to be there." 00:29:34.308 --> 00:29:36.310 "Think you can come? It's really important." 00:29:36.394 --> 00:29:37.395 They wouldn't tell me. 00:29:37.478 --> 00:29:40.439 Eventually, everybody gets there, 00:29:40.523 --> 00:29:42.150 and we go into the locker room. 00:29:47.446 --> 00:29:49.115 I wasn't ready to retire. 00:29:51.284 --> 00:29:53.202 I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them. 00:29:55.163 --> 00:29:58.541 Probably the hardest part of all of this is knowing 00:29:58.624 --> 00:30:01.085 that I wasn't gonna go to war with them no more. 00:30:01.169 --> 00:30:02.545 He went around the room, 00:30:04.005 --> 00:30:08.509 and he gave each guy a hug and whispered something in their ear. 00:30:08.593 --> 00:30:12.430 You know, from his mouth to our ears, he told us everything that was happening. 00:30:12.513 --> 00:30:13.848 There wasn't a dry eye in there. 00:30:14.682 --> 00:30:16.517 It was stupefying, you know? 00:30:16.601 --> 00:30:18.186 But I wanted to be there for him. 00:30:18.686 --> 00:30:20.646 You know, he was always there for me. 00:30:20.730 --> 00:30:23.316 We just could not believe what we were hearing. 00:30:24.901 --> 00:30:28.029 We just sat there. Numb. 00:30:29.113 --> 00:30:30.239 This is your brother. 00:30:30.781 --> 00:30:34.118 You spent years and years with this person. 00:30:34.202 --> 00:30:39.707 And you hear these words come out of someone in your family's mouth, 00:30:39.790 --> 00:30:42.126 and it's devastating. 00:30:42.210 --> 00:30:45.588 I started crying. I said, "Hey, how'd this happen?" 00:30:47.632 --> 00:30:51.052 Most of us were thinking, "Death is coming." 00:30:53.221 --> 00:30:55.640 It was just a numb feeling. 00:30:55.723 --> 00:30:57.141 You hear about it on the news, 00:30:58.392 --> 00:31:00.269 but you just don't expect it to be somebody 00:31:00.353 --> 00:31:03.481 that you spend most of your time with, who's your family. 00:31:03.564 --> 00:31:04.565 And 00:31:06.150 --> 00:31:12.365 then he went upstairs and told the world. 00:31:22.750 --> 00:31:24.460 Okay, he's gonna come over here. 00:31:36.055 --> 00:31:37.056 We are still waiting. 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:40.810 And obviously, the anticipation is getting worse and worse. 00:31:40.892 --> 00:31:43.229 We would like to get an answer sooner or later. 00:31:43.312 --> 00:31:45.481 Quickly tell us what is going on here. 00:31:45.564 --> 00:31:47.566 It is a very tense place. 00:31:49.360 --> 00:31:53.197 Laker front office. Jerry Buss, owner of the Lakers. 00:31:53.281 --> 00:31:55.365 And here comes Magic Johnson toward the podium. 00:31:55.449 --> 00:31:56.659 Let's go to Magic. 00:32:34.489 --> 00:32:37.492 First of all, let me say good after-- late afternoon. 00:32:39.494 --> 00:32:40.578 because of 00:32:42.955 --> 00:32:46.167 the HIV virus that I have attained, 00:32:47.126 --> 00:32:51.214 I will have to retire from the Lakers, today. 00:32:53.841 --> 00:32:55.176 I just want to make clear, first of all, 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:58.221 that I do not have the AIDS disease. 00:32:58.304 --> 00:33:01.307 'Cause I know a lot of you are conce-- want to know that. 00:33:01.390 --> 00:33:03.142 But the HIV virus 00:33:03.226 --> 00:33:05.895 I just want to say that I'm gonna miss playing. 00:33:06.979 --> 00:33:08.105 And, 00:33:08.898 --> 00:33:12.819 I will now become a spokesman for the HIV virus. 00:33:12.902 --> 00:33:15.780 It's another challenge, another chapter in my life that-- 00:33:15.863 --> 00:33:18.866 It's like being-- Your back is against the wall. 00:33:19.367 --> 00:33:21.577 And I think that you just have to come out swinging, 00:33:21.661 --> 00:33:23.246 and I'm swinging. 00:33:23.329 --> 00:33:26.123 We begin tonight with the fate of a single individual. 00:33:26.207 --> 00:33:29.627 The basketball star Magic Johnson confirmed a short while ago 00:33:29.710 --> 00:33:31.671 The news is so shocking and so unexpected, 00:33:31.754 --> 00:33:34.632 it is difficult to absorb it even as we report it. 00:33:38.594 --> 00:33:40.721 The official word came moments ago. 00:33:40.805 --> 00:33:45.351 The dazzling career of one of the world's best-known athletes is over. 00:33:45.852 --> 00:33:47.270 He is only 32 years old. 00:33:47.353 --> 00:33:49.856 People everywhere have been talking of little else 00:33:49.939 --> 00:33:53.025 than basketball superstar Magic Johnson. 00:33:53.109 --> 00:33:55.570 Magic called me and told me of the news. 00:33:55.653 --> 00:33:58.906 And I was just like most people in America. 00:33:58.990 --> 00:34:02.326 I was very shocked devastated about it. 00:34:02.410 --> 00:34:05.872 You know, just out the blue something like that happening. It just-- 00:34:05.955 --> 00:34:09.125 Yesterday was just a sad day. 00:34:09.208 --> 00:34:13.212 I know he's not dead, but it's kinda like somewhat of a death of a brother, 00:34:13.296 --> 00:34:14.463 a death in the family. 00:34:14.547 --> 00:34:16.632 I remember just sitting in my office crying. 00:34:16.716 --> 00:34:19.427 Bewildered. I remember bursting into tears, you know? 00:34:19.510 --> 00:34:22.763 Just 'cause we all thought it was a death sentence. 00:34:22.847 --> 00:34:25.391 He is alive but not very well right now. 00:34:25.475 --> 00:34:31.063 And, you know, we do not, you know, want to eulogize him. 00:34:31.147 --> 00:34:32.273 It was heartbreaking. 00:34:32.356 --> 00:34:34.066 Not just because of 00:34:34.692 --> 00:34:37.487 his extraordinary basketball career, 00:34:37.570 --> 00:34:42.617 but also because of the joy and infectious sort of smile, 00:34:42.700 --> 00:34:47.121 had become a staple of our culture. 00:34:47.205 --> 00:34:48.915 There are a lot of people who want to be your friend 00:34:48.998 --> 00:34:52.960 when you're standing underneath the basket making assists and throwing sweet passes. 00:34:53.044 --> 00:34:56.172 But this when you find out who your true friends are. 00:34:56.255 --> 00:35:00.092 If he truly wants to be an educator, it will be appropriate for him, 00:35:00.176 --> 00:35:04.847 not in some tabloid sense, not in some inappropriately prying sense, 00:35:04.931 --> 00:35:09.310 but in some way, it will be appropriate for him to discuss his *ual history 00:35:09.393 --> 00:35:11.813 and to address how he may have contracted AIDS. 00:35:11.896 --> 00:35:13.481 How did he get it? 00:35:13.564 --> 00:35:16.692 Why is that so important? What does it matter how anyone got it? 00:35:16.776 --> 00:35:20.530 We judge people with HIV based on how they got it. 00:35:21.018 --> 00:35:22.728 Isn't there a moral message, 00:35:22.811 --> 00:35:26.231 and isn't that the prevention message that he should be carrying? 00:35:26.315 --> 00:35:28.484 When I find out he got AIDS, 00:35:28.567 --> 00:35:30.694 I guess I ain't gonna be wearing that shirt no more. 00:35:33.781 --> 00:35:37.493 I had to come to grips with saying, "Hey, this is a part of it." 00:35:38.160 --> 00:35:42.748 I can't be upset, 00:35:42.831 --> 00:35:44.041 even though I was. 00:35:44.750 --> 00:35:49.004 It was like, "What do I do with myself sitting around on this couch?" 00:35:49.088 --> 00:35:51.715 And I remember thinking, "This isn't you." 00:35:52.883 --> 00:35:55.386 Three of eight shooting for Larry. Three-- 00:35:55.469 --> 00:35:59.014 This is not the same basketball team, you know, when Magic was running the show. 00:35:59.098 --> 00:36:00.224 There's no question about it. 00:36:00.307 --> 00:36:02.851 I'm sitting here having this pity party. 00:36:02.935 --> 00:36:04.895 And then I needed to feel the love too. 00:36:04.979 --> 00:36:10.192 You know, you needed something to also make you feel better 00:36:10.276 --> 00:36:14.446 about your new status of living with HIV. 00:36:14.530 --> 00:36:17.783 No one is saying exactly how Magic was infected with the virus, 00:36:17.866 --> 00:36:20.494 but the point now is that he intends to do something about it 00:36:20.577 --> 00:36:24.164 by becoming a spokesman for AIDS research and the safe * movement. 00:36:24.248 --> 00:36:25.416 And that begins tonight, 00:36:25.499 --> 00:36:27.835 when he'll appear on The Arsenio Hall Show. 00:36:44.226 --> 00:36:47.980 Phone rings, I pick it up, and it's Magic. 00:36:49.398 --> 00:36:52.818 So he said, "I should come on the show tonight and talk to America." 00:36:53.485 --> 00:36:56.780 I said, "Yo, shouldn't we do this at Larry King?" 00:36:57.865 --> 00:36:59.950 And he said, "No. You gotta do this. 00:37:00.534 --> 00:37:01.910 We gotta do this." 00:37:02.494 --> 00:37:05.664 "You gotta help me live forever." I never forgot that sentence. 00:37:05.748 --> 00:37:07.082 "You gotta help me live forever." 00:37:08.500 --> 00:37:09.585 And he came out. 00:37:10.336 --> 00:37:13.213 I just remember how long the ovation was. 00:37:13.756 --> 00:37:14.798 Man. 00:37:25.142 --> 00:37:28.729 I needed to hear the roar of the crowd one more time. 00:37:30.606 --> 00:37:31.774 And I heard it. 00:37:36.979 --> 00:37:41.441 I needed something to make me feel better about my new status, 00:37:41.525 --> 00:37:43.360 living with HIV. 00:37:43.372 --> 00:37:45.332 Man, it made me feel so much better. 00:37:46.333 --> 00:37:48.001 That I was gonna be okay. 00:37:51.922 --> 00:37:53.298 I didn't wanna do it 00:37:53.382 --> 00:37:57.803 because I knew there were questions that I was supposed to ask Earvin. 00:37:58.387 --> 00:38:00.138 And as a friend, I didn't wanna ask him. 00:38:00.222 --> 00:38:02.015 But he told me, 00:38:02.099 --> 00:38:03.934 "Don't hold anything back. 00:38:04.017 --> 00:38:08.855 Ask every question that you would ask if it was someone else other than me." 00:38:08.939 --> 00:38:12.234 Obviously, there are people who, in the back of their mind, 00:38:12.317 --> 00:38:17.990 think that this might be a homo*ual relationship disease. 00:38:18.073 --> 00:38:20.367 He looked me right in the eyes, and he said, 00:38:20.450 --> 00:38:24.955 "I have to tell as many people as possible 00:38:25.038 --> 00:38:28.041 because people think that this is just a * disease. 00:38:28.125 --> 00:38:31.837 They don't think anybody else can catch this disease or get this disease." 00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:36.425 President Bush has invited Magic to join the National Commission on AIDS. 00:38:36.508 --> 00:38:40.304 Johnson is mulling over the offer and has yet to make up his mind. 00:38:40.387 --> 00:38:45.267 I wrote him a letter, a personal letter some time ago 00:38:45.350 --> 00:38:46.935 and said that I recognize 00:38:47.019 --> 00:38:51.273 there are all kinds of opportunities now to serve mankind 00:38:51.356 --> 00:38:53.233 and I'd love to have him on this commission. 00:38:54.860 --> 00:38:57.988 So, I flew out to DC and met with President Bush, 00:38:58.071 --> 00:38:59.698 and I decided to join. 00:38:59.781 --> 00:39:04.953 Well, there's money, funding here, prevention, research, care. 00:39:05.704 --> 00:39:07.581 So I'ma come at him with figures and numbers 00:39:07.664 --> 00:39:09.374 that will probably blow his mind. 00:39:10.500 --> 00:39:13.795 The first thing I wanted to do was to educate myself more 00:39:13.879 --> 00:39:16.423 about not only the disease 00:39:16.506 --> 00:39:21.011 but also how has it been affecting the Black community. 00:39:21.094 --> 00:39:24.640 It was a new mantle Earvin "Magic" Johnson wore into this hall. 00:39:24.723 --> 00:39:27.059 Not of the LA Laker megastar he was, 00:39:27.142 --> 00:39:29.728 but of the National Aids Commissioner he now is. 00:39:29.811 --> 00:39:31.980 We don't have a voice, Magic. 00:39:32.064 --> 00:39:37.069 We don't have anybody to stand up for us and speak about things in our lives. 00:39:37.152 --> 00:39:38.236 We need you. 00:39:38.320 --> 00:39:40.948 It was a much different time, 1991. 00:39:41.031 --> 00:39:44.034 There were people who wouldn't shake Earvin's hand, wouldn't give him a hug. 00:39:44.117 --> 00:39:47.162 I now hear you can get it from toilet seats. 00:39:47.245 --> 00:39:50.499 -Do you ever worry about it? -I just think it's not gonna happen to me. 00:39:50.582 --> 00:39:53.502 We have to put aside prejudice for people who are infected. 00:39:53.585 --> 00:39:55.170 We have to look at it for what it is. 00:39:56.505 --> 00:39:58.674 It's an infection that can be transmitted 00:39:58.757 --> 00:40:01.593 in certain ways that we're absolutely certain 00:40:01.677 --> 00:40:05.055 and certain ways it cannot be transmitted that we're absolutely certain. 00:40:05.138 --> 00:40:08.100 And we have to keep drilling that home to the people of this country. 00:40:08.183 --> 00:40:09.810 You know, I was getting smarter. 00:40:10.394 --> 00:40:11.603 I was getting better. 00:40:12.229 --> 00:40:14.940 I felt I needed to get out. 00:40:15.023 --> 00:40:16.566 People wanna help. 00:40:16.650 --> 00:40:19.027 And they've said, "We're gonna raise a lot of money, 00:40:19.111 --> 00:40:21.947 and we want you to help educate people about HIV and AIDS 00:40:22.030 --> 00:40:24.324 as well as raise the awareness level." 00:40:24.408 --> 00:40:27.202 I was always a person who was out anyway, 00:40:27.286 --> 00:40:33.000 so I wasn't gonna let HIV stop me from being a person out in the public. 00:40:33.625 --> 00:40:38.338 He's always been aware of who Earvin was and also who Magic was. 00:40:39.172 --> 00:40:42.384 So he's always been aware that this was a unique opportunity 00:40:42.467 --> 00:40:44.928 for him to take advantage of his status 00:40:45.012 --> 00:40:47.848 and also to live up to some responsibilities, 00:40:48.515 --> 00:40:50.809 being Magic Johnson as opposed to Earvin. 00:40:50.892 --> 00:40:53.395 There were people who wanted more, 00:40:53.478 --> 00:40:56.440 who wanted to-- who wanted the story. 00:40:56.523 --> 00:40:59.651 And he owned up to his lifestyle. 00:40:59.735 --> 00:41:04.031 Women have different fantasies. Some want to be with two, three at a time. 00:41:04.210 --> 00:41:06.629 If you ask me if I had fun, yes, I had fun. 00:41:07.713 --> 00:41:11.050 But you pay for it. 00:41:11.545 --> 00:41:16.508 I guess 'cause my emotions went from fear of dying 00:41:16.591 --> 00:41:19.970 to, "Okay, we can breathe a little bit." 00:41:20.554 --> 00:41:23.515 But just day by day, figuring this thing out. 00:41:23.598 --> 00:41:26.935 When they told us about how we need to keep Earvin healthy, 00:41:27.018 --> 00:41:29.980 you know, it has a lot to do with your immune system. 00:41:30.063 --> 00:41:33.984 And so he made sure he kept his workout regimen. 00:41:34.067 --> 00:41:36.736 I'm running and lifting in the morning. 00:41:36.820 --> 00:41:39.197 I'm finding gyms to rent out, 00:41:39.281 --> 00:41:44.369 UCLA, Sports Club/LA, on the weekends, late at night. 00:41:44.452 --> 00:41:45.871 So, I'm like-- 00:41:45.954 --> 00:41:48.832 I'm playing, like, almost seven days a week. 00:41:48.915 --> 00:41:49.916 Wait-- 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:54.171 And still, you wanted to do anything and everything to educate people. 00:41:54.254 --> 00:41:56.882 Most people are scared to really talk about AIDS. 00:41:57.465 --> 00:42:00.552 And that's what's keeping the ignorance alive. 00:42:00.635 --> 00:42:03.471 Magic Johnson, I think, did more than anybody else 00:42:03.555 --> 00:42:06.224 to finally break the stigma. 00:42:06.308 --> 00:42:09.269 'Cause the country loved him and respected him. 00:42:10.312 --> 00:42:12.856 And because they could see that he was still fighting. 00:42:12.939 --> 00:42:15.525 What kind of charisma does Earvin "Magic" Johnson have 00:42:15.609 --> 00:42:17.235 on the American basketball public? 00:42:17.319 --> 00:42:18.320 Consider this. 00:42:18.403 --> 00:42:22.449 He retires last November 7th, when he tested positive for the HIV virus. 00:42:22.532 --> 00:42:25.243 And yet, when the All-Star fan balloting is announced today, 00:42:25.327 --> 00:42:27.954 he comes in second amongst Western Conference guards. 00:42:29.289 --> 00:42:31.416 The All-Star game was coming up. 00:42:31.499 --> 00:42:32.751 Earvin was leading the vote 00:42:32.834 --> 00:42:35.921 but he wasn't sure if the NBA would let him play. 00:42:36.004 --> 00:42:38.882 Some players were skittish 00:42:38.965 --> 00:42:41.009 about playing against him 00:42:41.092 --> 00:42:44.304 because they were afraid, if there was a cut or something, 00:42:44.387 --> 00:42:46.139 that they might get infected. 00:42:46.223 --> 00:42:49.017 There is fear, anxiety and questions from all corners, 00:42:49.100 --> 00:42:51.937 including those athletes who participate on the professional level. 00:42:52.020 --> 00:42:54.856 There was some swirl around this of potential boycotts 00:42:54.940 --> 00:42:56.191 and lawsuits and other things. 00:42:57.192 --> 00:43:01.071 I think the stakes were even higher than I understood at the time. 00:43:01.154 --> 00:43:04.616 A basketball game is incredibly violent. The collisions, the contact, the bl-- 00:43:04.699 --> 00:43:05.951 There's blood everywhere. 00:43:06.034 --> 00:43:10.247 And I wouldn't wanna be out there playing against someone who was HIV positive. 00:43:10.330 --> 00:43:11.665 Look at every NBA player's hands. 00:43:11.748 --> 00:43:14.751 They're full of nicks, scars and cuts from fingernails 00:43:14.835 --> 00:43:18.880 and all the times that you've slammed into somebody's mouth with your elbow. 00:43:18.964 --> 00:43:20.340 And you're bleeding, he's bleeding. 00:43:20.423 --> 00:43:23.677 Things can happen to you even if it's-- the possibilities are small. 00:43:23.760 --> 00:43:26.346 It was a concern that a lot of players had. 00:43:26.429 --> 00:43:30.767 But he was a friend to me, and I wanted to play against him. 00:43:30.851 --> 00:43:32.310 You know, I've always welcomed 00:43:32.936 --> 00:43:34.646 the opportunity to play against Magic Johnson. 00:43:36.189 --> 00:43:38.984 He did a Nickelodeon special with children. 00:43:39.067 --> 00:43:40.068 I remember things started, 00:43:40.151 --> 00:43:42.320 and there was a number of kids there that had AIDS. 00:43:43.363 --> 00:43:45.907 My message to them, that it can happen to you. 00:43:45.991 --> 00:43:47.993 And I'm a prime example of that. 00:43:48.296 --> 00:43:49.839 You wanted to say something? 00:43:50.340 --> 00:43:55.887 That I want people to know that we're just normal people. 00:43:58.515 --> 00:44:00.392 Uh-uh, you don't have to cry. 00:44:01.685 --> 00:44:02.811 You don't have to cry. 00:44:10.402 --> 00:44:13.697 'Cause we are normal people. We are. 00:44:16.116 --> 00:44:19.035 And you just wanna be treated like that, right? 00:44:19.119 --> 00:44:21.329 You just want your friends to play with you 00:44:22.080 --> 00:44:24.416 and call you up and come by 00:44:24.958 --> 00:44:27.377 and still have sleepovers and things like that? 00:44:28.128 --> 00:44:29.838 Right? Yeah. 00:44:30.338 --> 00:44:33.049 And it's okay to cry. It's okay to cry. 00:44:34.592 --> 00:44:38.179 I didn't know it was as bad for him as it was for everybody else. 00:44:38.533 --> 00:44:41.953 When Magic was diagnosed with HIV, 00:44:42.036 --> 00:44:44.622 I think David took it on as a cause. 00:44:44.705 --> 00:44:49.168 This is a very courageous, heroic person and a heroic act. 00:44:49.252 --> 00:44:52.547 And we all pledged our support to him. 00:44:52.630 --> 00:44:55.341 In addition to wanting to be there for Magic, 00:44:55.424 --> 00:44:59.428 he saw this for the larger societal implications it represented 00:44:59.512 --> 00:45:02.849 in terms of what was then enormous prejudice. 00:45:02.932 --> 00:45:04.308 It's about our game. 00:45:05.059 --> 00:45:08.563 But it's also about our humanity, and it's about our Magic. 00:45:08.646 --> 00:45:14.610 And so, without asking for too many opinions, 00:45:14.694 --> 00:45:17.238 'cause I was afraid that I might get too many, 00:45:17.321 --> 00:45:18.739 I said, "That's it. He's in." 00:45:18.823 --> 00:45:21.659 Magic Johnson retired from the Lakers because of the AIDS virus, 00:45:21.742 --> 00:45:24.787 but he now says he'll play in the NBA All-Star game next month. 00:45:24.871 --> 00:45:28.291 There is little doubting what this game means to any player, 00:45:28.374 --> 00:45:31.210 especially the first-timers and rookies. 00:45:31.294 --> 00:45:33.546 But the magic of this moment is Earvin's, 00:45:33.629 --> 00:45:35.006 a great of the game 00:45:35.089 --> 00:45:38.426 who fans feel they can just reach out and touch. 00:45:38.509 --> 00:45:41.679 Sunday can't come soon enough for number 32. 00:45:41.762 --> 00:45:43.097 Once I get out there, 00:45:43.181 --> 00:45:46.267 things will take care of themselves, though, once you hit the court. 00:45:46.350 --> 00:45:49.353 You know, basketball will never leave me. 00:45:49.437 --> 00:45:53.441 I called the commissioner, and I said, "Commissioner Stern," 00:45:53.524 --> 00:45:56.861 I said, "Listen, you got all these activities going on 00:45:56.944 --> 00:45:58.488 in the Orlando arena, 00:45:59.572 --> 00:46:01.657 but I need to go in there and shoot." 00:46:02.742 --> 00:46:04.911 He said, "Earvin, the arena won't even be free 00:46:04.994 --> 00:46:06.788 until, like, 11:00 or 12:00 at night." 00:46:06.871 --> 00:46:10.208 I said, "I'm going at 11:00 or 12:00 at night then." 00:46:10.291 --> 00:46:12.877 So I went in there, and I shot for hours. 00:46:17.757 --> 00:46:20.718 Then when we got to Orlando 00:46:23.221 --> 00:46:27.099 there was a large sector of players saying that they were gonna boycott. 00:46:28.851 --> 00:46:30.812 And they wasn't gonna play in the game. 00:46:34.107 --> 00:46:38.277 I called a meeting, and I stood up in front of the other 23 players, 00:46:39.904 --> 00:46:42.615 and I said, "This is not gonna be a vote 00:46:44.617 --> 00:46:46.786 but Magic's gonna play in this game. 00:46:48.830 --> 00:46:50.456 And we're going to embrace him. 00:46:52.959 --> 00:46:56.921 And not only are we gonna embrace him, but we're gonna welcome him." 00:47:00.424 --> 00:47:01.926 I thought it was a big moment. 00:47:02.552 --> 00:47:07.181 And I wanted all the players to not only shake his hand 00:47:07.765 --> 00:47:08.933 but to hug him. 00:47:09.684 --> 00:47:12.145 Making his 12th All-Star game appearance, 00:47:12.228 --> 00:47:18.901 Earvin "Magic" Johnson! 00:47:23.406 --> 00:47:26.325 Number 42 on the way, and Magic touches it first. 00:47:27.827 --> 00:47:28.870 Magic! 00:47:29.370 --> 00:47:32.123 We just started off playing easy, you know. 00:47:32.707 --> 00:47:35.877 And Dennis Rodman bodychecked me so much, 00:47:36.794 --> 00:47:39.213 it actually helped the other guys say, 00:47:40.465 --> 00:47:44.302 "Okay. Dennis is playing him hard. We going at it." 00:47:44.385 --> 00:47:46.637 All the stuff went away. 00:47:47.263 --> 00:47:50.266 And now, I'm in my element. 00:47:50.850 --> 00:47:52.685 I got the no-look passes going. 00:47:52.769 --> 00:47:54.228 Another great pass. 00:47:54.312 --> 00:47:57.064 I got that hook going. I got the drives going. 00:47:59.358 --> 00:48:02.361 You put that ball in my hand, I know what to do with it. 00:48:04.655 --> 00:48:08.326 And I'm into my game, and it was just fun. 00:48:08.409 --> 00:48:11.788 I said, "Wow, I miss this." 00:48:11.871 --> 00:48:13.247 Magic Johnson. 00:48:13.331 --> 00:48:15.458 It didn't matter who was in front of me. 00:48:15.541 --> 00:48:17.376 I just had a feeling that I couldn't miss. 00:48:17.460 --> 00:48:20.588 And Johnson! Two in a row for Magic. 00:48:20.671 --> 00:48:22.298 He's going for the MVP. 00:48:22.381 --> 00:48:24.133 I'll never forget the ending. 00:48:24.217 --> 00:48:27.595 Three-pointer. Is it? It is! All right! 00:48:31.474 --> 00:48:35.853 There was still time on the clock, and all the players just ran on the court. 00:48:36.938 --> 00:48:39.357 Man, that was the greatest feeling in the world. 00:48:39.440 --> 00:48:42.151 I mean, they were saying, "That's it. The game is over. 00:48:42.235 --> 00:48:44.362 The show has ended." 00:48:46.364 --> 00:48:48.783 Magic, you're the most valuable player. 00:48:48.866 --> 00:48:51.410 You're a most courageous person. 00:48:51.494 --> 00:48:54.080 The moment is yours. Congratulations. 00:48:57.083 --> 00:49:00.920 Commissioner David Stern and I, with that game, 00:49:01.003 --> 00:49:04.549 changed the conversation 00:49:04.632 --> 00:49:07.885 about HIV and AIDS around the world. 00:49:08.636 --> 00:49:11.889 That one game changed everything for HIV and AIDS. 00:49:11.973 --> 00:49:18.020 Magic gave confidence to those who were also afflicted with the disease 00:49:18.104 --> 00:49:20.273 that this wasn't a death sentence, 00:49:20.356 --> 00:49:22.984 that they should put pressure on government 00:49:23.067 --> 00:49:28.489 and on the medical establishment to take this disease seriously. 00:49:29.699 --> 00:49:32.785 Putting the commission together was really good. 00:49:32.869 --> 00:49:36.622 But there wasn't enough resources behind the commission. 00:49:37.081 --> 00:49:40.460 People who were running the commission, heart wasn't in it. 00:49:40.543 --> 00:49:44.464 They were really focused in on the white community 00:49:44.547 --> 00:49:46.757 and not the Black and brown community. 00:49:46.841 --> 00:49:50.511 The AIDS rate in America is growing fastest among minorities. 00:49:50.595 --> 00:49:53.848 The reason why people in our community are suffering from this 00:49:53.931 --> 00:49:56.267 is because there is a lack of health care services. 00:49:56.350 --> 00:49:59.604 The government feels like, "These people can be pushed off to the side 00:49:59.687 --> 00:50:01.147 'cause we don't need them anyway". 00:50:01.230 --> 00:50:04.400 He reached a point where he felt things were not going quickly enough. 00:50:04.484 --> 00:50:07.612 They weren't having as much influence as they should. 00:50:07.695 --> 00:50:10.656 I had this battle with the White House. 00:50:10.740 --> 00:50:13.701 I said, "If I'm going to really make a difference, 00:50:13.785 --> 00:50:17.830 I gotta jump off of this commission and really get on the ground." 00:50:17.914 --> 00:50:22.210 Magic Johnson said today he is quitting the Presidential Commission on AIDS, 00:50:22.293 --> 00:50:26.214 and he accuses the Bush administration of utterly ignoring its work. 00:50:26.297 --> 00:50:29.467 Finally, I just said, "You know what? I'm just gonna be Earvin Johnson. 00:50:30.134 --> 00:50:32.553 I'm just gonna do me and do my thing." 00:50:32.637 --> 00:50:36.641 He started his own foundation, the Magic Johnson Foundation. 00:50:37.225 --> 00:50:41.604 Our mission statement was to bring about awareness for HIV and AIDS 00:50:41.687 --> 00:50:46.734 and to also support HIV clinics and things like that. 00:50:46.818 --> 00:50:48.778 Sir, you got the Laker hat on and everything. 00:50:48.861 --> 00:50:49.861 Yeah. Yeah. 00:50:49.779 --> 00:50:52.365 The stars turned out in Inglewood, California, today 00:50:52.448 --> 00:50:56.369 to honor Magic Johnson and raise money for AIDS education and research. 00:50:56.452 --> 00:50:58.037 I'm playing basketball. 00:50:58.621 --> 00:51:00.957 I'm not in the NBA. I could if I wanted to play. 00:51:01.040 --> 00:51:03.918 But right now, I'm happy traveling around the world, 00:51:04.001 --> 00:51:05.253 not only playing basketball, 00:51:05.336 --> 00:51:08.005 but I'm also educating people about HIV and AIDS. 00:51:08.881 --> 00:51:12.051 Everyone is wondering, will he or won't he play again? 00:51:12.844 --> 00:51:15.346 The Lakers retiring his number 32. 00:51:15.429 --> 00:51:19.434 Now, the operative words here being "number 32" and not his body. 00:51:19.517 --> 00:51:21.853 Magic, again, refusing to slam the door shut 00:51:21.936 --> 00:51:23.688 on his playing days in the NBA. 00:51:37.285 --> 00:51:40.079 I hope that if I do decide to come back, 00:51:40.163 --> 00:51:43.040 you won't be upset if we did this all over again. 00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:46.919 And then the greatest thing happened, 00:51:47.003 --> 00:51:49.464 which was the Dream Team.