When Los Angeles Lakers superstar point guard Magic Johnson took to the podium to announce the world that he was HIV positive on Nov. 7, 1991, his future was filled with uncertainty.
It pained Lakers team doctor Michael Mellman to pull Johnson from the game during his prime, but with little information known about the virus, it was all he was able to do to protect the future Hall of Famer.
“We were concerned for the individual because we were really stopping his career at a time when it shouldn’t have been stopped,” Mellman told The Washington Times’ Todd Dybas. “As far as all of us were concerned, it was an uncertain outcome at that time, even though there were things said at the press conference… I tried to offer some hope and optimism toward the end of that, which is more my nature than anything else. But, I think none of us had a sense of what the future was.”
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Johnson’s final All Star Game, a game in which many believed would be his last. Dybas spoke with those involved in the unnerving situation, which you can read here.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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