Magic and HIV

[JSD]

Asking older fans here:

I’m curious about how this was reported. Did the world find out during Magic’s announcement, or was it leaked beforehand to dull the shock? How did you find out? Obviously this was a big news, and before the Internet.

[libermaniac]

That’s a good question. I don’t remember how I found out but I was working in Santa Monica with an office full of Lakers fans and it was like mid-afternoon and somehow I found out before anyone else (I think we had some kind of Reuters feed or something). Being a 20-something year old with no tact, I got on the company intercom and announced it to the whole company - kind of gloating. I feel like an idiot now for making light of it, but I was an ignorant die-hard Cs fan who hated the Lakers.

[KG Living Legend]

Asking older fans here:

I’m curious about how this was reported. Did the world find out during Magic’s announcement, or was it leaked beforehand to dull the shock? How did you find out? Obviously this was a big news, and before the Internet.

https://youtu.be/xMMWLS8D4OU


 This is how I found out.

[ozgod]

Asking older fans here:

I’m curious about how this was reported. Did the world find out during Magic’s announcement, or was it leaked beforehand to dull the shock? How did you find out? Obviously this was a big news, and before the Internet.

I remember driving as a senior to high school and hearing it on the radio and I was in shock. I heard his press conference "due to the HIV virus that I have attained/obtained I will have to retire from the Lakers today". There's really wasn't any internet to find out more. I read about it in the paper afterwards, that was it.

[JSD]

Asking older fans here:

I’m curious about how this was reported. Did the world find out during Magic’s announcement, or was it leaked beforehand to dull the shock? How did you find out? Obviously this was a big news, and before the Internet.

https://youtu.be/xMMWLS8D4OU


 This is how I found out.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you

[JSD]

That’s a good question. I don’t remember how I found out but I was working in Santa Monica with an office full of Lakers fans and it was like mid-afternoon and somehow I found out before anyone else (I think we had some kind of Reuters feed or something). Being a 20-something year old with no tact, I got on the company intercom and announced it to the whole company - kind of gloating. I feel like an idiot now for making light of it, but I was an ignorant die-hard Cs fan who hated the Lakers.

Oh gosh! Man… savage Is an understatement

[celticsclay]

I was reading last night how magic wanted to come back and play one final year with Kobe and Shaq the year they got him but he was basically forced out over some drama with cedric cebollos and Nick van exel.

[GreenlyGreeny]

The announcement. In 1991, nobody other than Magic thought he’d be alive by the time 2000 rolled around. Freddie Mercury died of AIDS less than two weeks after Magic’s announcement.

And yet Magic outlived Kobe. No guarantees that any virus will keep anybody down, no telling what kind of medical advancements will be made, and no telling when our time is up. Scary but true.