Earvin Johnson, known as Magic Johnson, was the point guard of the Los Angeles Lakers and one of the most popular athletes in the world when he learned in late October 1991 that he had tested positive for HIV. After the result was confirmed, he held a news conference on November 7, 1991, at the Great Western Forum, the Lakers' home arena, with NBA Commissioner David Stern beside him. He said that because of the virus he would retire from the Lakers that day. He was 32.

Johnson made a point of telling reporters that he did not have AIDS but the virus that causes it, a difference many people did not yet understand. He said he had believed it could never happen to him, and that if it could happen to Magic Johnson, it could happen to anybody. A heterosexual Black man who appeared perfectly healthy and was still in his athletic prime, he did not fit the public image of who was…