THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 31, 1996 TAG: 9601310408
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Since Magic Johnson retired from the NBA a lot has changed, including the questions.
Four years later, people want to know if Johnson, at 36, is too old for a comeback.
They ask, Can he run with the young guys?
They wonder, How long will he play? And how well?
They are curious to know what kind of player he will be now that he's put on 27 pounds. And will his presence and leadership be enough to turn the Lakers into a serious contender?
Virtually every question raised by Johnson's return has been basketball-related. For now, his medical condition does not seem to be an issue.
We can count this as progress.
``There's been a lot of education about AIDS,'' Golden State forward Jerome Kersey said before the Warriors met Magic and the Lakers Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Kersey was one of the players who groused about Johnson's participation in the 1992 All-Star Game. He's come around.
By his mere presence, and the way he's handled this, Johnson helped people conquer their fears and their ignorance about AIDS.
``Before, people wondered, if he breathes on me, will I get it?,'' Kersey said. ``If I have a little cut, will I get infected? I think there's been a lot of education, and players are welcoming him back with open arms.''
Tellingly, Kersey spoke at a news conference to promote a game between the Warriors and Bulls on Feb. 7 that the Warriors hope will raise $100,000 for AIDS care, research and education.
``We need to get it out in the open,'' said Kersey. ``To get rid of the mystique and the myths.''
This is what Magic Johnson has been trying to do all along, with meager support from his NBA colleagues and others.
Bowing not to HIV but to the realities of time, Johnson hopes to reinvent himself as a ``point power forward.''
``I know I'm five steps slower,'' he says. ``But the hook shot is still there.''
While in retirement, Magic barnstormed around the world with his all-star team. He competed regularly and relentlessly in summer pickup games against the NBA's finest. Poor health is not his problem. Rust is.
``I'm not expecting anything,'' Johnson said, though he surely knows that millions are.
Magic need not return as NBA savior - Michael Jordan did that last year - so he's right when he says, ``It's not like I have to come in and dominate.''
It's a big enough story that he dominates the news, the talk, the headlines.
Today, almost no player or official shivers publicly over the notion of Magic returning to the pro basketball mainstream.
People are learning.
Before the 1992 Olympics, an Australian doctor - a doctor! - advised players not to step on the same floor with Johnson.
But now, even Karl Malone, singled out as the player who did the most to create an unfavorable climate for Magic's abortive '92 return, has come around. He says he's ``absolutely delighted'' with Johnson's comeback.
``We know a lot more about this disease now than we did when he first retired,'' explained Malone.
Outwardly, everyone in the NBA is so upbeat about Johnson's condition. Nobody appears threatened by it. Makes you wonder what all the fuss was about.
Makes you wonder why Magic Johnson had to wait four years for people to start asking the right questions. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
That sports writers and NBA players are talking about Magic
Johnson's basketball skills and the Lakers' prospects shows plenty
of progress in America's battle against fear and ignorance of the
AIDS virus.
by CNB