On November 7, 1991 a great shock in the world of sports and particularly in NBA basketball was caused when Magic Johnson (foto ©Steve Lipofsky www.Basketballphoto.com) announced that he was found positive at the HIV infection.

Earvin Johnson was born on August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan. The star of his high school basketball team, he was given the nickname “Magic” he’s universally known as after scoring a triple double.

At the college he played at the Michigan State University leading it to the 1979 NCAA title in a memorable final where he defeated Larry Bird’s Indiana State University, the first great clash with his great rival.

First overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 draft, Magic Johnson became the first rookie to be elected MVP in the NBA finals when he led his team to the 1980 title playing for some minutes even as center replacing an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Magic Johnson also won with the Lakers the 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 titles, the first team to win two straight titles after almost twenty years. The 1985 and 1987 titles were won defeating in the finals Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics.

An incredibly spectacular player particularly famous for his impossible assists, Magic Johnson was also capable of delivering the ball to a teammate under the basket with various opponents and little room between them.

Thus it was one of the best known men in the world of sports who twenty years ago revealed he was HIV positive. In the ’80s AIDS was considered a disease that hit gay and drug addicted people and the fact that Magic Johnson stated that he contracted the virus through heterosexual sex started a change in the perception of the disease.

Magic Johnson created a foundation to contribute to the knowledge of AIDS among people, how to prevent it and the discovery of a cure.

In that November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson also announced his retirement from sport activity but he accepted to be part of the (true) Dream Team, the USA national team that played in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, another important event for the perception of HIV infected people.

After a brief and not very happy period as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Magic Johnson went back to his team as a player: at 36 he wasn’t obviously in his prime anymore but when he retired he did it as a choice.

Obviously Magic Johnson takes various drugs to keep the HIV infection under control and prevent it from turning into AIDS: during the years they changed when the scientific research led to the creation of drugs that were more effective and had less side effects. This progress that today makes him a man who can live a normal life is for a bit to be credited to his committment.