Real-Life Magic

Ten years later, he is playing ball against guys half his age. He is running a small empire of theaters, coffeehouses and restaurants. And his smile - the one that launched a thousand ads - remains as wide as ever.

"I feel wonderful," Magic Johnson said. "Everything is great, wonderful. I celebrate life and I live every day. Every day is a holiday for me. Nov. 7 won't be any different."

Ten years ago - Nov. 7, 1991 - many thought that one of basketball's most dazzling players had been handed a death sentence.

He stood at a packed news conference at the Forum, the scene of his many triumphs with the Los Angeles Lakers, and announced he was retiring at 32 because he had the AIDS virus.

Now, he takes AIDS drug cocktails - combinations of medications that have kept many people with the virus from developing full-blown AIDS - allowing him to focus on business, and not just the business of staying alive.

"The medicine has done its thing. I think I've done my part," he said last week. "And God has done his part. It's mind over matter, too. I've never felt I would be sick or get sick. I thought I would be here."

The 6-foot-9 basketball star would change the face of AIDS around the world.

"His announcement was huge, particularly for African Americans," said Phill Wilson, founder of the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute in Los Angeles. "The day he announced, my voice mail shut down because there were so many calls. His announcement showed AIDS was not just a white disease, not just a gay disease. And that was critical. He's been a remarkable role model, as a human being, an African American, a man living with the HIV."

At the time of Johnson's announcement, many people did not understand the difference between being HIV positive and actually having AIDS. A decade ago, the typical length of time from infection to death was eight to 10 years. It was not until the mid-'90s that AIDS drug cocktails that suppress the virus came into wide use.

Now 42, Johnson is a most busy man. Most of his time is spent in business, where through his Johnson Development Corp., he has worked to bring economic development to troubled urban areas by opening Magic Johnson Theaters, Starbucks coffeehouses and T.G.I. Fridays restaurants.

Just last month, he added to his menu of business ventures with the purchase of the Fatburger restaurant chain.

Hollywood super agent Michael Ovitz served as a mentor of sorts to Johnson during his playing days

"I worked with him for years, I speak with him all the time. Years ago, I gave him a bunch of books and magazines to read, I set him up with some meetings. He was like a sponge," Ovitz said. "The end results speak for themselves. Look at what he's done."

Johnson - who believes he got the AIDS virus by having unprotected sex with women - exercises daily and still plays basketball. Last Friday, he led his all-star team of several former NBA players against his alma mater, Michigan State, n an exhibition game in Lansing. Johnson is also a vice president with the Lakers, for whom he coached briefly.

And he is in excellent health, according to Dr. Michael Mellman, Johnson's personal physician for the past 20 years.

"There's nothing experimental, nothing high-tech," Mellman said of Johnson's medication. "Anyone who can afford health care can afford what he's doing. He's as healthy as he looks."

As for the future, "we have no idea," Mellman said. "AIDS and the virus have only been around a couple decades. Ten years ago, we didn't know what to expect, so there were no expectations, only questions. I'll take every 10 years he gets, and hope we don't get surprised along the way."

The man who led the Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s made a basketball comeback in 1992, shortly after playing in the Olympics. Some of his Olympic teammates, most notably Karl Malone, expressed discomfort playing against him, so Johnson retired again before the season began.

Years later, Malone said: "Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I meant what I said. You're young, you don't know a lot of information on it."

Johnson made another comeback during the second half of the 1995-96 season, then retired for the final time. At that stage, people knew much more about the virus and AIDS.

Since then, Johnson has immersed himself in the business world and his family - his wife, Cookie, and three children. None has tested positive for the virus.

Although not a major AIDS activist, Johnson contributes time and energy, serving as event chairman and master of ceremonies at a major fund-raiser in September.

Hattie Babbitt, executive director of AIDS Action in Washington, was effusive in her praise of Johnson. But she also said Johnson appears so healthy and has such energy it gives the mistaken impression that the drugs are a cure.

"They do have side effects, and they tend to lose their effectiveness. His healthy appearance may lead young people to incorrectly believe it doesn't matter if they get infected," Babbitt said.

Johnson's mother, Christine, said that after she learned her son was infected, she "asked the Lord to let him live to see his kids grow up."

"I believe he's going to do that," she said. "I believe the Lord is going to allow him to be around for a long time."

By John Nadel © MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed