Pat RileyThe 4 time NBA championship coach, Pat Riley, coached Johnson for 9 seasons during which they built a strong relationship before Riley left to become the New York Knicks coach. Still, Riley was one of the first calls Johnson made after receiving news of his HIV positive status. Like most, Riley was devastated after hearing Johnson had contracted the virus that at the time was considered a death sentence. The understanding of HIV and AIDS etiology was far from perfect and education regarding the virus and disease had been poorly communicated. There was an incredible amount of stigma surrounding this issue and Johnson immediately felt his relationships change with his fellow NBA players, many of which were his closest friends. When Johnson asked them to work out and play one-on-one with him they made excuses. Finally, Riley was the one who called Magic and told him to come out to New York. After arriving Riley worked out with Johnson and finally showed him the support and friendship he was searching for in the NBA (The Announcement).
When asked about his reaction to Johnson's announcement, Pat Riley showed his deep respect and support for his player, I think it is important to know how he handles this. He amazes me. We know it is a tough fight that he has ahead of him. But anybody who knows him knows how tough he is and how he'll fight back (Araton 1991)." He's doing more for AIDS than any person ever" ... "He's saying: 'Here I am. I'm not giving up. I'm not going to hide.' There are so many people out there who will be affected by that in a positive way (Brown 1992)." |
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The NBA OrganizationThe day after Johnson announced his retirement, the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Arizona to play the Phoenix Suns without their star player who not only impacted the team statistically, but greatly affected their overall morale as well. Many players felt an incredible amount of emotion after hearing the news and recall having little desire to play in the games immediately following the announcement (The Announcement). Still, the NBA organization pushed on while showing support along the way. The Suns requested the services of an AIDS support and educational group to set up stations in the stadium where they provided fans with informational materials. (Newsweek Staff 1991).
fans still love magicSince Magic Johnson had begun the 1991 season he remained on the ballot for the All-Star team. Fans showed their tremendous amount of love and support they still had for the best NBA play of the 1980's by voting him onto the 1991-1992 All-Star team. While he was excited to return for another game in the NBA, Johnson expressed his fears to his wife as the game approached regarding how others will react to him. He was happily surprised when the crowd showed enormous support for him as his name was announced just before the game. The fans held up signs saying, "Magic is Back!" as they warmly welcomed his return. Almost more surprisingly, the players embraced him with open arms, which signified their acceptance, at least at this time, of his return (The Announcement).
Fans also showed their loyalty to him when sales of his items shot up the days following his retirement. As fans were interviewed they explained their purchases were because of their love for the player, "Prices are not going higher because people want to make money on Magic. It's because they want to keep a piece of him" (Eskenazi 1991). |