It’s the 1980’s. You’re watching professional basketball at its highest level, the NBA. You know the rosters. Larry Bird. Bernard King. Moses Malone. Ralph Sampson. George Gervin. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Back in the day with tough, physical battles to the hoop, mixed with sky-hooks and finger-rolls.
And you could argue who was the best of that time, and if you didn’t include Magic Johnson in that argument, then you knew nothing about basketball. Magic Johnson was the best point guard of his generation. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple NBA championships. It was Showtime at the Forum when he took the court.
Then came the news. 33 years ago today. A press conference. One that would change the course of Magic Johnson’s life.
Oh, my God.
Now take a moment here. This is 1991. At the time, HIV – the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a painful, incurable and fatal disease – was still shrouded in mystery and misinformation. Those who were diagnosed with HIV / AIDS were stigmatized and shunned, treated like lepers.
And the jokes were repulsive and repugnant. That “gay” was an acronym for “Got AIDS Yet?” And when Magic Johnson announced that he was now a person with the HIV virus, idiots turned his nickname into a sick joke of “My Ass Got Infected, Coach.”
But Magic Johnson would not listen to the repulsives. He advocated for his community. He became a successful businessman and sports ambassador. His announcement has created awareness that anybody can contract HIV from a multitude of different and varied possibilities, and his tireless efforts to support treatments and medicines have undoubtedly saved countless lives.
And today, 33 years after Magic Johnson went public with his HIV diagnosis … he has surpassed a unique milestone.
He has now lived more days on this earth WITH his HIV diagnosis (12,054 days) than he has BEFORE he announced his HIV diagnosis (11,773 days). Think about it. What was once an instant death sentence is today something that could be managed with medicines and treatment.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s no cure for AIDS or for HIV – at least not yet. Scientists have worked on finding a cure, and someday a cure will appear.
But think of what Magic Johnson did with that press conference. He turned what was once a disease associated with deviance and stigma, and gave it instead an image of compassion and hope and understanding.
That, in itself, may be his greatest accomplishment on or off the court.
Chuck The Writer 
Now think of how that progress is about to be reversed as a hate-filled homophobic moron takes control of the government.
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Finally got my wordpress account log in fixed! Yeah, I agree this is a major milestone that will never get the press it deserves because we’re all still scratching our heads trying to figure out what happened Tuesday.
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