Earvin Johnson didn't give a lecture last Thursday at Cornell. Instead, the basketball legend, AIDS activist and businessman gave some memories to a largely student audience of 2,000 who packed Bailey Hall and gave him a standing ovation when he entered.
Sure, "Magic" Johnson helped the Los Angeles Lakers to five National Basketball Association championships and nine NBA finals appearances. Going one-on-one against the Isaiah Thomases, Moses Malones, Charles Barkleys, Larry Birds and Michael Jordans of his era, Johnson set a high standard of athletic excellence.
But on Nov. 7, 1991, the high-flying, championship world of Magic seemed to come crashing down.
"That was the hardest day of my life," Johnson told the sold-out Bailey Hall crowd Thursday evening. His doctor had summoned him to his office to give him some chilling news: Johnson had been diagnosed as being HIV positive.
"After I got myself off the ground, I decided to get a positive attitude. There would be no stress in my life, I would take the medicine and do what the doctor told me to do," recalled Johnson.
From the doctor's office, he said, it was a tough 20-minute ride home.
Johnson broke the news to his pregnant wife, Cookie, and she started to cry. "I told her I would understand if she wanted to leave me," he said. "Then, she slapped me upside the face," he said, drawing laughter from the audience. She wasn't going to leave him, he said, and two days later the couple learned the fetus did not have the HIV virus and would be fine.
One of America's most enthusiastic and charismatic public figures, Johnson quit the Lakers and the NBA and set out on a new life course: reaching out to youth, in hope of getting those who were down-and-out to stay in school and those who were more privileged to assume leadership roles.
Johnson also talked about what he's most famous for -- basketball. In addition to being involved in many successful business ventures, often involving development in minority communities, he now owns a portion of the Los Angeles Lakers team. He spoke reverently of playing alongside NBA greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, and against Jordan and Bird.
He focused particularly on Bird, who starred with the Boston Celtics -- a team Johnson's Lakers faced three times in the NBA finals.
"People say that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the air; well Larry Bird was the best basketball player on the ground. He couldn't jump over one of these pines," said Johnson, pointing to the flat, wooden stage floor. "But, he was one of the best basketball players ever."
Johnson recounted a moment during a Lakers-Celtics game when Bird had taken the ball down court to the Boston basket and instead of shooting, waited for Johnson to run down court. "'Whatcha running for Magic?' Bird said, 'You know you're too late,' and then he shot the ball and made the basket. That's how good he was," he said.
Johnson spoke for about 45 minutes before taking questions.
Having heard from Johnson about the saddest day of his life, one student asked him about the happiest. "The day I married Cookie," Magic answered, beaming.
Another student asked, considering all the business ventures he is involved in and considering his HIV diagnosis, how does he cope with stress?
"I take care of business the night before," he said. "That way, when I get up in the morning, I am not thinking about it and I am not stressed. For example, you know when you are ready for a test. You've studied, you're prepared, you already know you're a four-point. Take care of business; that's how you reduce stress."
Prior to the lecture, Johnson attended a student reception with members of the Cornell University Program Board, which sponsored the event, and he gave a press conference. At least two dozen members of the media attended, including crews from television stations WOKR in Rochester and WIXT in Syracuse, who covered the event live during their evening newscasts.
Unlike some professional athletes, Johnson likes to be known as a role model for young children and teens. Attending the press conference was Julia Schneider, 11, and her friend Kate Brown, 11, who play on the Ithaca Girls Traveling Basketball Team and had a basketball with them. Johnson noticed the girls and said, "Hey, I'll sign that." He walked over to them and gave them a high-five, before signing the ball -- while the news cameras whirred. The girls got the message.
Sophomore Kjirsten Johnson said she had been looking forward to hear Johnson speak because he has been her idol for many years. "Besides the fact that he is an amazing basketball player, I admire his leadership and his motivation," she said.
Kat Graves, a student at Ithaca High School, said she sought to learn more about what it is like to be living with HIV. "I thought it was important to hear what Johnson had to say about AIDS and HIV," Graves said.
Cornell sophomore Alex Harrison said he found Johnson's lecture to be not only thought-provoking, but also thrilling. "I had no idea that he was so successful in the business world as well as on the court," Harrison said. "I've always been a big fan of Magic's, and after hearing him speak, I'm now an even bigger one."
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