Magic Johnson is reflecting on some of the defining and troublesome moments of his life.
During an emotional look on The Jennifer Hudson Showthe NBA legend recounted the day he informed his spouse, Cookie Johnson, that he had contracted HIV, calling it “the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.”
“Well, Jennifer, you think about, first of all, God blessed me to be here 34 years later,” Magic started. “I remember, you thought you had made the right decisions, the right moves, and then this news comes.”
Johnson stated his first concern wasn’t for himself however for his spouse, who was pregnant with their son, EJ, on the time: “I wasn’t worried about me as much; I was worried about Cookie. She was pregnant with our son EJ, and so how was it going to affect her?”
After working checks, Johnson stated he was relieved to be taught each Cookie and EJ have been wholesome. But the second he had to inform his spouse about his prognosis stays etched in his reminiscence.
“When I came home to tell Cookie the news, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, not to play against Michael [Jordan] or Larry [Bird]but to tell my wife I had HIV.”
The Hall of Famer stated he was not sure how Cookie would reply and that was the one factor that bothered him. However, Cookie reassured Magic they might work out this ordeal collectively, which, in return, helped him consider he had an opportunity to “be here a long time.” Magic went on to describe how Cookie’s first response was rooted in religion.
“The first thing she said was, ‘Let’s drop down on our knees and start praying,'” he recalled. “And so God has really blessed both of us.”
Since his 1991 announcement, Johnson has spent greater than three a long time utilizing his platform to unfold consciousness and struggle stigma round HIV and AIDS.
“I wanted to make sure I went out and was able to speak about it, especially in the Black and brown community because the numbers were running very high,” he stated. “I went to a lot of churches, I went to a lot of schools, and I made sure I raised the awareness level of HIV and AIDS, and I’m happy I was able to do just that.”