Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman Drove Magic Johnson’s Lingering ‘Fear’ With Powerful Display

The year 1991 brought the NBA world to a standstill when Magic Johnson suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 32. The Los Angeles Lakers legend had tested positive for HIV. This led the star to take a drastic step as, back then, the public’s knowledge of the virus was extremely limited. However, a few months later, it was announced that Magic was voted into the 1992 All-Star by the fans.

In the book Believing in Magic: My Story of Love, Overcoming Adversity, and Keeping the Faith, Magic Johnson’s wife, Cookie Johnson, shared the lives of the couple through her perspective. When talking about the time Magic took over the floor after staying away from the game for a few months, Cookie Johnson extended her praises to Dennis Rodman and Charles Barkley for being honest with the game.

“What’s more, the voices of players who thought the earth would stop spinning if an HIV-infected person played in the game were completely drowned out by Earvin’s Magic Show on the court, plus the willingness of Detroit forward Dennis Rodman and Philadelphia power forward Charles Barkley to square up against him, hip to hip, chest to chest, sweat against sweat, completely dispelling that notion that fear should factor into playing Magic hard in the paint,” emphasized Cookie Johnson.

Magic Johnson had lost the confidence he once reflected. But both Barkley and Rodman did not care about the virus and played as if it were any other game. Cookie was happy that they did it, as this gave Magic the confidence he required to play on the court.

The former basketball professional won the All-Star MVP award. This confidence helped Johnson as he tried to come out of retirement. But he could not overcome the challenges that came his way, so his second stint in the NBA was short-lived

Magic Johnson’s return did not go as expected

After the All-Star game, Magic Johnson tried to return to basketball. But, he suffered a small cut on his wrist during a match. Once he realized how his teammates reacted to it, he decided to retire again in 1992.

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In 1996, the athlete announced that he was coming out of retirement and returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson hoped to get back to his former self. Alas! the luck was not in his favor as the team was going into a rebuilding phase. Johnson averaged 15.6 PPG and 6.9 PPG through his 36 games in the 1995–96 season before announcing his third and final retirement from the NBA.

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What do you think of Magic Johnson’s All-Star game performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!