Why Magic Johnson's Wife Threatened To Leave Him Despite Sticking By His Side During His AIDS Battle
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At the height of Magic Johnson's athletic profession, thousands and thousands of other people believed he was once the most efficient player in the NBA. Thanks to how skilled Magic used to be at the court docket, he's going to virtually no doubt be very best remembered as an all-time basketball great as soon as he passes away.
As glorious as it is that Magic's athletic abilities ensured that he's thought of in the similar breath as well-known and rich players like Michael Jordan, some issues matter more. An excellent example of that is that it is much more necessary that Magic has a great relationship with his family.
Now that Magic's son EJ has change into well-known sufficient that lovers need to know how much money he is worth, people have been paying attention to the basketball great's dating with his children. On the other hand, numerous other folks do not know much about Magic's courting with his wife.
Married since 1991, Magic and Cookie Johnson appear more than pleased these days from the outdoor having a look in. However, because it seems, Cookie as soon as threatened to finish her marriage with Magic if he did not practice through on one thing they agreed to.
How Did Cookie Johnson React When Magic Johnson Was Diagnosed With HIV?
In 2019, arguably the most popular star of the Netflix series Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness, got here forward to announce that he is HIV positive. Of path, some jerks had terrible reactions to that news. However, the overwhelming majority of people who cared greeted Van Ness' announcement with love and beef up.
In an excellent world, everyone who has been diagnosed with HIV throughout historical past would have won love and beef up once they came ahead with that information. In reality, then again, that definitely isn't the case.
Instead, there used to be a time when a lot of people who have been recognized with HIV then had to face hatred and concern when others learned of their status. In reality, there was a time when people were so scared of HIV that they refused to touch or be in the similar room as victims.
By the year 1991, there still were a lot of people who had been extraordinarily frightened of HIV and any individual who had it. That identical yr, Magic Johnson known as a press conference to announce that he was once HIV positive and that he was retiring from basketball.
Before Magic shared the inside track of his analysis with the arena, he had to tell his circle of relatives and family members. Most significantly, Magic had to tell his wife the news that obviously would have a large number of implications for her.
In 2021, Magic was once interviewed by CBS Morning's Gayle King, and he spoke about having to inform his wife Cookie Johnson the scoop. While it is not sudden that Magic was afraid to inform Cookie, it's still fascinating to understand how Magic described how he felt as he ready to tell his wife the scoop.
"It was hard because I loved her so much and I hated to hurt her. I've played against some of the best basketball players in the world, right? I've been in championships. I've been in nine [NBA] Finals, so I know pressure. But there was no greater pressure than driving home to tell her."
On best of the imaginable implications for Magic's wife Cookie, the placement used to be additional complicated by the fact that she was wearing the basketball nice's baby at the time. As Magic also described in that interview, the instant that Cookie was examined was once a gigantic deal.
"The key moment was when Cookie took the test and the results came back that her and the baby was fine." Magic also stated he was once "scared to death" earlier than he knew his wife and kid were secure. "I wanted to make sure that she was going to be okay, the baby was going to be okay, and then I can move forward with making sure I was going to be okay."
During the similar dialog that Magic told Cookie he was HIV positive and that she and their baby might be in peril, he also had to disclose that he got the virus through contact with some other woman. Despite all of that, Magic mentioned that Cookie was mostly concerned about one thing.
"It was, 'You're possibly going to die.' And that trumped everything." Finally, Magic spoke about how ignorant people have been about HIV when he was once identified and how anxious he was that could affect his family.
"At that time, people weren't educated, so they thought you couldn't touch people." Magic continued, "You couldn't hug people. And I didn't want people to treat us like we were lepers."
Despite the social stigma, the contact with any other woman, and the entirety else, Cookie by no means wavered in her give a boost to for Magic from all accounts.
What Made Cookie Johnson Threaten To Leave Magic Johnson?
After Magic Johnson told the sector he was HIV positive, and he was once going to retire, nearly everyone concept his athletic occupation was once over. However, Magic joined the 1992 Men's Olympic crew known as the "Dream Team" and he performed in the 1992 All-Star game.
After he appeared great while enjoying within the Olympics and All-Str recreation, Magic announced plans to return to basketball for most of a full season. However, that ultimately didn't happen.
While taking part in an exhibition game before he returned for the 1992 Lakers' season, Magic were given minimize at the court docket. When Magic saw how afraid the other avid gamers on the court docket had been in response to his small reduce, he abandoned his plans with the Lakers in 1992.
Back when Magic first held a press convention to announce his planned return to the Lakers in 1992, a large number of fanatics were extremely joyful with the news. However, Magic revealed in that press conference that his greatest fan was once not up to delighted.
According to Magic's comments at that press convention, Cookie threatened to leave him if he tried to go back for multiple season. In fact, Magic said that he has to bribe his wife to even get her to approve of him returning for one season.
“My wife told me, ‘That’s it, one (season) and get out.’ Or she’ll leave me. Cookie all the time informed me I was coming again: ‘No manner you’re figuring out 3 times an afternoon, and also you’re not coming back, you can’t inform me. . . .’ I said, ‘You haven’t given me your OK but.’ So I bribed her. I gave her one million greenbacks.”
In reaction to Magic's comments, Cookie retorted “It used to be much more than that.”
Whether Magic if truth be told gave Cookie the million or he was joking, it seems very transparent that Cookie used to be in opposition to Magic staging a long go back. Ultimately, Magic did return to the Lakers in 1996, after which he retired for the general time after handiest taking part in in 32 video games during a single season.
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