Magic Johnson may be responsible for Michael Jordan’s legendary NBA run with the Chicago Bulls — at least that’s what he jokingly claimed during his interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday. The former basketball champ recounted the time he was gearing up to bow out of the professional sport, during which time there had been talks about Johnson potentially being drafted by the Bulls.
Kimmel ignited the conversation, saying, “I was thinking about this today about how close you came to being drafted by the Chicago Bulls and how the whole, not just the Lakers and your career, everything would have changed if that had happened.” Johnson smiled in agreeance before he responded, “Jimmy, no question about it, can you believe that if I had went to the Bulls there would be no Michael Jordan in Chicago.”
The 63-year-old retired from the NBA in a surprise press conference held in November 1991, after learning he had tested positive for HIV. He attempted to make a comeback soon after, but protests from his fellow players — who became fearful of contracting the virus — kept him away for another few years until 1995 when he played his last season with the LA Lakers. The father of three was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Meanwhile, back in April, Johnson shared that he had contemplated taking his life after learning about his HIV diagnosis, particularly because doctors had told him he only had around two to three years to live, which understandably sent shockwaves through his body.
The former athlete made the remark in his Apple TV+ docu-series, “They Call Me Magic,” based on his life. After discovering he had HIV, Johnson had confided in his agent, Lon Rosen, that if anything happened to him, Rosen should make sure to take care of his family — a conversation which the pair had while taking a stroll on the beach together.
Magic Johnson on why stepped down from @Lakers:
“I wanted to fire Luka Walton. I said Jeanie your man don’t have it. He doesn’t make adjustments with in the game. I hate to tell u that because I know you love him… Non basketball ppl say I can’t make those calls.”#LakersDoc pic.twitter.com/S3nDsY2kHl
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) October 10, 2022
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“At one point, [Magic] said, ‘I don’t know if I want to live, I might just end it, I might just …'” Rosen shared. Johnson later continued, “I thought I was facing death. I didn’t sleep. I was just thinking about, Is this the last time [Cookie] is going to be in my arms?”
Johnson had clearly proven his doctors wrong as he quickly began taking his medication which ultimately prolonged his life expectancy while simultaneously becoming an advocate for others who had been diagnosed with the condition. Johnson is heavily credited for helping break the stigma around HIV, a disease that was killing countless people throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.