Magic Johnson is a force in the business world and a legend in the sports world.
Johnson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate that provides high-quality products and services that focus primarily on ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities. Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Johnson parlayed the skills and tenacity he acquired on the court into a winning formula for his successful business ventures.
For the last three decades Johnson has consistently turned heads with his unprecedented partnerships. In his early years as an entrepreneur, he forged an alliance with Sony Pictures to develop Magic Johnson Theatres. In 1998, he teamed with Starbucks to become the only franchisee in the history of the company, acquiring and eventually selling 125 stores in a lucrative move which further solidified his position in the business world. Both ventures served as catalysts for redevelopment in urban communities and are widely recognized as the corporate blueprint for engagement and success with urban consumers across America.
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Still a commanding presence in the sports world, Johnson recently made history in 2023 when he became co-owner of the Washington Commanders, a National Football League franchise that was purchased for $6.05 billion. The Commanders acquisition marks the highest purchase price for any U.S. professional sports team to date. He also co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club, and eSports franchise Team Liquid.
Now, even with all those accolades, people still remember Magic as one of the few success stories of "beating" AIDS.
Does Magic Have AIDS Anymore?
"Magic Johnson doesn't have AIDS anymore!" someone blurted out during a lively discussion about safe sex in our community. After this young person's statement, others nodded their head in agreement. While Johnson publicly delivered the news of his HIV status on national television back in 1991, he also has been publicly living his life--a pretty good life--with the disease, which many believe that he has either cured himself and no longer has the virus.
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"I just want to make clear, first of all, I do not have the AIDS disease," the now 65-year-old said back in '91. "I plan to go on living for a long time."
So far, Magic has lived up to that plan.
When Magic was Diagnosed, AIDS Looked Like This...
In the late 80s and early 90s when he was one of the most beloved professional sports figures in the world making the announcement about his status, folks were reeling over Johnson’s revelation. The news of Magic Johnson having HIV forever changed the NBA, the Lakers franchise, all professional sports, and the world. Many wondered how the virus could have crept into the heterosexual realm, which at the time, was still considered a gay man's or drug users disease.
As the years progressed, Johnson retired from his beloved sport, made multi-millions (and others billions) in the business sector, and became an AIDS activist. Soon, people began wondering how Johnson wasn’t losing weight and why didn’t he look sickly.
"I tell people all the time, early detection saved my life," says Magic. "I was fortunate enough to get on the cocktail of drugs right was I was diagnosed. The drugs are doing their part and I'm doing my part of exercising, eating right and having a positive attitude about living with HIV."
What Does "Undetectable HIV" Really Mean?
As Magic has an "undetectable" level of HIV, many people wonder, what does that really mean? An HIV-positive person can achieve undetectable levels after undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART). The level of a person’s HIV viral load is what causes them to be more or less likely to transmit the disease. An undetectable viral load reduces the likelihood of transmission by 100 percent. Once a person achieves an undetectable status, it is possible to remain at this level provided that the person is compliant with their ART medication.
When taken as prescribed, HIV medications can decrease the amount of HIV present in a person's blood, or "HIV viral load", to be too low to measure. This is called being undetectable. Being undetectable prevents HIV disease from progressing and allows people to live long and healthy lives. It also protects the health of their sex partners.
People cannot pass HIV through condomless sex when they have undetectable levels of HIV. This prevention method is estimated to be 100% effective as long as the person living with HIV takes their medication as prescribed and gets and stays undetectable. This concept known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
How to become undetectable
This can take up to 6 months after starting HIV medication. Your health care provider will perform blood tests and let you know when you're undetectable.
How to Stay undetectable
Get a second undetectable test result at least 6 months after the first. Continue to take your HIV medications daily and visit your health care provider regularly. They will monitor your blood tests to make sure you’re still undetectable.
On Sirius XM, Johnson explained the details of his health, saying that he is not healthy because of his wealth nor because he consumed a specially concocted drug that cured his disease, as many have surmised. In fact, the Hall of Famer explained that he takes the same 30-something drugs that other folks battling the virus take as well as a cocktail of three of them every day after dinner.
The 6’9″ L.A. Dodgers owner wanted to make clear that he still has the virus but it is in a dormant state, telling the radio show host Renada Romain, “I do have it and have had it for 22 years. It’s just laying asleep in my body.”
20 Years Later: What's Changed After Magic Johnson's Announcement?
The purpose of Johnson doing the interview was to let folks know that the virus does not affect everyone in the same way and that he is just one of the lucky few to have survived as long as he has with it, “The virus acts different in everybody … so just because I’m doing well, you might NOT do well,” he told Romain.
Johnson also wanted to point out that he has not sought any magic cures from Kenyan witch doctors or Mexican healers, which is yet another myth that surrounds him.
What Magic is Up To Next
Like the countless people who were watching the Olympics across the nation, Magic was tuned in to most events and he expressed his excitement for the upcoming games Olympic games in L.A in 2028.
Los Angeles is a perfect city to host the Olympics because of its location, amenities and popular tourism spots for fans of all sports to enjoy. The city of Los Angeles is also home to some of the most iconic athletes ever, with Vanessa Bryant showing off a Kobe Bryant-inspired emblem for the 2028 Olympics. Kobe is no stranger to the Olympics having won two gold medals himself with USA Basketball and there was no one better that represented the spirit of competition at the games.
