A young Kobe Bryant was heartbroken over Magic Johnson's HIV news: "It was very difficult"

Yahoo

2 days ago

In the second half of 1991, Magic Johnson's professional and personal world began to unravel.
On the court, he and the Los Angeles Lakers were outclassed by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. Their 4-1 series loss was seen by many as a clear sign that their dominant era was winding down.
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Off the court, an even bigger blow followed: just days after the start of the 1991-92 regular season — which Magic and his teammates hoped would serve as a strong bounce-back campaign — the iconic 6'9" point guard shared he had been diagnosed with HIV.
The announcement sent shockwaves far beyond basketball, even reaching Europe, where a young Kobe Bryant was profoundly affected. As Roland Lazenby recounts in "Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant," the news left a lasting impression on the boy who would one day become a legend himself.
Shocking HIV revelation
"The announcement" came on November 7, 1991 — a date the late Bryant never forgot.
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That day, a tense crowd of reporters filled the media room at the Forum, microphones and cameras ready, having been told that Magic had important news to share.
Then, the 32-year-old NBA star stepped up to the podium, wearing a sharp black suit and white shirt. He showed his familiar smile, but the news he was about to deliver was anything but cheerful.
Johnson revealed that a recent routine medical test had shown he was HIV positive. This shocking diagnosis meant he would immediately retire from the Lakers, the team he had played for 12 seasons and won five NBA championships with.
The announcement shocked the world, which at the time knew very little about HIV and AIDS. Many wrongly believed the disease only affected certain groups — mainly homosexuals and drug users — and often confused HIV with AIDS, which was widely seen as a death sentence.
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Just weeks after Johnson's announcement, Freddie Mercury, the frontman of the legendary rock band Queen, died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS — a moment that only fueled public fear.
For Magic, the shock of his own diagnosis was deeply personal. Suddenly, his biggest challenge was no longer facing rivals like Jordan or Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons — now, the three-time MVP was fighting for his life.
During the press conference, Magic promised to dedicate himself to fighting the deadly disease, turning his unexpected retirement into a powerful platform for awareness and change — a mission the now 65-year-old continues to this day.
"I just want to say that I'm going to miss playing. And I will now become a spokesman for the HIV virus because I want people — young people — to realize that they can practice safe sex," he said. "You know, sometimes you're a little naive about it, and you think it could never happen to you. You only thought it could happen to, you know, other people and so on and all. And it has happened, but I'm going to deal with it, and my life will go on."
Related: Kobe Bryant admitted resenting Michael Jordan when he first saw him play: "I don't like this kid 'cause Magic was my guy"
Magic's news hit Kobe hard
During that time, Bryant and his family were living in Europe, with Kobe and his sisters Sharia and Shaya attending a private school in Basel, Switzerland. This was because his father, the late Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, was playing professional basketball nearby in France for FC Mulhouse Basket. Interestingly, the former 6'9" forward ended his 13-year professional career just days after Johnson's announcement.
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Even though the family was far from the United States and their roots in Philadelphia, they stayed closely connected to American culture and sports, mainly thanks to Kobe's grandparents.
According to "Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant," they would often send packages filled with basketball tapes, popular TV shows and especially episodes of The Cosby Show, helping the Bryants feel at home despite the distance.
Kobe's grandparents were also the ones who broke the shocking news about Magic. One evening in the fall of 1991, they called the family to say that the "Purple and Gold" star had revealed he was HIV positive and would be retiring from basketball.
"The next morning, Pam and Joe broke the news to Kobe without going into the details of the disease that was forcing the Lakers star from the game. It didn't matter. The thirteen-year-old was crushed," wrote Lazenby.
From heartbreak to purpose
When Kobe heard the news from his parents, Joe and Pamela, he was devastated. It hit him hard — so much that he reportedly struggled to eat and spent over a week grieving in silence.
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His heartbreak wasn't just about seeing his basketball idol, Magic, go through something so painful. Like many at the time, the young Kobe didn't fully understand what HIV meant, and the uncertainty scared him.
However, rather than remain in confusion, the future five-time NBA champion with the Lakers made a decision: he would educate himself.
"I was just trying to understand," said the 2008 Most Valuable Player. "I cried. I didn't know what it was about. I read some books, rented a movie on it. To see. As a kid you just don't know what to do. Hoping I could help him out in some type of way. It was very difficult."
Back then, Bean didn't know how to deal with such a tough situation. But years later, he found a way to turn it into strength. The late Philadelphia native came to understand how quickly fame and attention could turn dangerous — especially considering the risky lifestyle Magic had once led, reportedly sleeping with 300 to 500 women every year. With this in mind, Kobe chose a different path.
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"With me, it's simple," Bryant once said about staying away from temptation, explaining that he avoided it because "there's a lot I want to accomplish in my life."
Related: Kobe Bryant said his mum, not his dad, shaped his on-court persona: "She's more like a pit bull"