Civil Rights Post 2

Another documentary we watched in the civil rights unit was about Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson was a star basketball player for the LA Lakers. He was a phenomenal player, getting first pick in the draft out of college. He won MVP his rookie year and played for 12 more seasons after that. Magic slept around a lot during his career, mostly unprotected. Johnson and his rival from the Celtics Larry Bird made basketball much more popular. Their rivalry however became a race issue. Black people no matter where they were from supported the Lakers, and white people rooted for the Celtics. In 1991, Magic Johnson retired from the NBA after announcing that he had contracted HIV. At the time, this was considered a gay disease and also a death sentence. People called him Tragic Johnson. Magic Johnson is still alive, and spends his time educating the public on HIV and created a foundation after him.