The Day The Magic Left

Growing up as a kid during the 80s, the NBA was all about Magic Johnson and his Los Angeles Lakers versus Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics. Sure that Michael Jordan guy was starting to make a dent in the superstardom of Magic and Bird, but he'd have to wait. Bird's moustache and Magic's smile ruled as iconic during that decade.

Unfortunately, during the early 90s, in fact, exactly 17 years ago, holding a news conference Earvin "Magic" Johnson revealed that he had HIV. Once those words of admission were uttered, I'm fairly confident that the world held still from its normal hustle and bustle as shock and incomprehension creeped into its being.

Charles Barkely will always be my favorite player because of his competitiveness and no-nonsense style of play. However, Magic will always be my favorite player to watch play the game of basketball. He had flair, style, showmanship, but also a ridiculous amount of effectiveness in his game. His nickname summed it up best as Johnson was a magician with the ball and could seemingly do whatever he wanted with it.

Despite the level of skill and talent that coursed through his veins, the 6'9" Johnson did not use his natural abilities to hog the ball and make sure the spotlight was always on him (but, trust me, if you are too young to remember, it always was), but instead of scoring all the time and average 40 points a game (and he could have), Magic instead took the role of leader from the lead guard position and made his teammates maximize their talent and win... and the Lakers did a lot of that while Magic was on the floor. Johnson's stardom and likability transcended fandom so much that even if you weren't a Lakers fan, Magic was a joy to watch. But don't take my word for it as Magic's "nemesis" throughout the 80s, Larry Bird, said that Magic was the best player he's ever seen.

So, when Magic announced his having HIV and subsequent retirement from the NBA, the world, even if only the basketball world, stopped. Magic was no longer going to fake a pass and then slam it home, flick the rock behind his back, feed a streaking James Worthy on the wing or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the post, or hit a last second shot at the buzzer to win the game.

The upside, if you want to consider one, is that Magic was so famous and so loved that he brought HIV recognition to the forefront of the general population. His situation became the poster boy for HIV and AIDS awareness the way his smile was for all the things that were good in the NBA.

Eventually, Magic came back to the Association, played and won the MVP at the 1992 NBA All-Star game, and won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic games. Today, 17 years later, Magic is going strong as a successful businessman and TV personality. So, even though he's no longer being a wizard on the hardwood, Magic is still involved with the game he came to dominate. And while it is more than admirable that Johnson is more recognized nowadays for being an avid spokesman for AIDS awareness, the image of Magic bringing the ball up the court, his eyes looking everywhere, penetrating through the lane and dishing it off to a teammate for an easy two, and then running back upcourt to get back on D will always be at the forefront for me.

Seventeen years ago was a sad day for all, but there are a lot more memories that makes us do what Magic did as well as anyone - smile.

Photo: Rick Stewart/Getty Images