The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 662 Magic Out
Although the Portland Trail Blazers won the championship in 1991, the NBA entered the Portland second dynasty era.

Posters of Forrest Gump's image can be seen in various sizes near sports facilities across the United States.

During television broadcasts of sports games, various commercials related to Forrest Gump were shown. In one Gatorade commercial, the advertiser used the catchy song, "I Want to Be Forrest Gump."

Gan Guoyang became a symbol of champions and success. From 1981 to 1991, he won seven championships in a total of 10 years, each of which was a heavyweight title.

He has won every honor imaginable in American basketball, and his performance at the center position has given this ancient position a unique brilliance.

Compared to the 80s, basketball in the 90s was more intense, stronger, cooler, and more colorful.

Forrest Gump's yellow skin is undoubtedly the most special and eye-catching color in the alliance of black and white.

Many commentators believe that if Forrest Gump were to retire now, he would undoubtedly be the "number one basketball player in America".

In the eyes of Americans, Forrest Gump is a product of American basketball, a gem of the American high school and college basketball development system.

People certainly don't want Gan Guoyang to retire; he's only 28 years old this year and is at the peak of his career.

With his epic battle with Jordan in the Finals, the NBA officially entered the golden age of the 1984 draft class.

Meanwhile, in the previous era, the glorious era of players in the 1970s, Larry Bird, the White Bird, officially announced his retirement in July.

The once fierce rivalry between the black and white teams has officially come to an end. White has left, unable to accept himself running on the court due to injuries and defeats.

Magic Johnson, both a rival and a friend, was shocked upon receiving the news and immediately called Bird to ask him why he did this and why he was retiring so soon.

Bird countered with a question: "When you kept losing to Forrest Gump, didn't you ever think about retiring?"

These direct and hurtful words silenced Johnson, and then Bird added, "If we don't back down, we might lose to him several more times."

"Haha, not necessarily, we'll win this year." Johnson was confident and told Bird he would attend his retirement ceremony.

For Johnson, the most important thing this summer is to marry his girlfriend Kelly—after so many years of womanizing, he has decided to give himself a real home.

Of course, this process was not simple. Kelly rejected Johnson's marriage proposals many times. She couldn't live without Johnson, but she also knew how outrageous and unfaithful he had been over the years.

This would be hard for any woman to tolerate, even if Johnson is a celebrity, a basketball hero, and a super-rich man.

It wasn't until Johnson took Kelly to Portland for an away game during the 1991 playoffs against the Trail Blazers and introduced her to his teammates that Kelly realized Johnson was truly committed to a stable relationship.

This is the first time Johnson has done this; he would never have done it in the past because bringing his girlfriend would interfere with his ability to pursue other women in other cities.

This time, Johnson not only brought his girlfriend but also his parents, a sign that the playboy is settling down.

Despite losing the series to the Trail Blazers, Kelly finally accepted Johnson's marriage proposal, and the two plan to hold a grand wedding this summer.

Of course, before the wedding, Johnson went to the Bahamas for a bachelor party and had a great time there.

Then he called his girlfriend and said, "I'm sure we can get married, one hundred percent."

Everything was finally settled, and Johnson planned to start a new chapter in his life, the second half of his life.

Larry Bird has retired, the "Black and White Duo" is gone, and memories of basketball in the 80s will gradually fade away.

Johnson is only 32 years old this year, and as a point guard, he is at the peak of his physical condition, experience, and skills.

He will represent the United States at the 1992 Olympics and play at least five more seasons in the NBA—although in 1989 he said he would play for a maximum of two more years.

For five seasons, following the Los Angeles Lakers' resurgence, whenever the Portland Trail Blazers fell into decline, they were able to upset them again, just like in 1989, and make it back to the Finals to win another championship.

Johnson is prepared for this, and he believes that within five years, an opportunity will definitely arise; Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers cannot dominate forever.

This summer, the first major issue he faces is getting married, and he vows to give Kelly a memorable and unforgettable experience.

Of course, at this time, Magic Johnson had no idea that the biggest nightmare of his life was just beginning.

Because I'll be going to Europe in October for the McDonald's World Championship and the preseason training camp will begin in November, the wedding has to be held in September.

He only had a month to prepare, while Kelly and Johnson had been together on and off for so many years. Her philandering celebrity boyfriend had long since broken her heart, so as the wedding approached, the immense pressure and unpleasant memories tore her spirit to shreds.

Kelly suffered from insomnia and loss of appetite, which caused her to lose weight and question whether she should marry Johnson.

However, as the wedding date approached, Kelly agreed to Johnson's proposal. They got their marriage certificate and held a simple ceremony.

Kelly and Johnson signed a prenuptial agreement stipulating that Kelly would receive nothing in the event of a divorce—Johnson's assets were estimated at $1 million at the time.

This may be why Magic Johnson chose to marry her: she is a traditional woman who quietly supports and accepts everything about Johnson.

Johnson once said that sometimes he envied Forrest Gump, envying Forrest Gump's stable and loyal marriage.

The womanizing man even wondered if the reason the Lakers always lost to the Trail Blazers, and he was not as good as Forrest Gump, was because he lacked a good wife.

The wedding was scheduled for September 14th. Four days before the wedding, the couple went to Johnson's private physician, Tom Jamison, for premarital counseling.

Jamison asked them if they wanted to do blood chemistry tests to check for some infectious diseases, but Johnson seemed indifferent, and ultimately they didn't.

Johnson is very confident in his physical health; he is very strong and extremely energetic, and he has never really felt tired off the court.

The wedding proceeded as scheduled. Kelly waited for Johnson in the church, feeling extremely nervous and anxious. She was worried that Johnson might suddenly decide not to marry her and leave her there alone, making her the biggest fool in history.

After all, in March 1990, Johnson had said, "I can't get married, let's not talk about it anymore."

The good news is that in 1991, Johnson changed his mind. He was there and never left, and the two went through with their wedding.

Johnson's good friends Aguirre and Isaiah Thomas were there, but Thomas looked a little upset because he wasn't on the U.S. Olympic team roster.

It has been rumored that Michael Jordan told the Olympic selection committee that if Thomas went, he wouldn't go, so the selection committee could only choose Stockton instead of Thomas, who had more honors, strength, and status.

Some people say that the real person behind it all is Forrest Gump, who wants his good friend Stockton to go to the Olympics and fulfill his dream.

In short, Thomas suffered another major blow after his failure in the 1991 playoffs.

Johnson looked smug. After the wedding, he immediately returned to Los Angeles to visit friends before flying to Europe to participate in a McDonald's competition.

He remained a hot commodity in the league, still the magician who commanded respect. In Europe, he was wildly popular with fans, no less so than Jordan or Forrest Gump. Wherever he went, people chanted "Majik! Majik!"

However, Johnson was plagued by an anxiety that he sensed he was about to face great trouble.

Before the wedding, Johnson received a letter from an old flame.

In the letter, the former lover told Johnson that she had contracted HIV and that she had only had sex with Johnson recently.

The letter was like a landmine planted in Johnson's heart, but the guy really had a "big heart" and he suppressed it without responding or checking it.

Perhaps he was afraid, or perhaps he didn't want to disappoint Kelly again; canceling the wedding would be devastating for her, so Johnson chose to ignore the letter.

He believed he was healthy and would never contract AIDS—by the 1990s, AIDS had begun to appear in large numbers and had become a dreaded incurable disease.

In short, Johnson didn't take it seriously. He continued to enjoy the cheers of the fans in Paris, France, and then he received some good news: his wife Kelly had confirmed her pregnancy.

A mixture of joy and anxiety enveloped Johnson, and he decided to name his child EJ—Johnson III. Johnson already had a child before him.

However, EJ was different; he was a legitimate son, so Johnson named him after himself, which had a special meaning.

Upon returning to the United States from Paris, Johnson continued his familiar NBA life: training, flying, participating in preseason games, and giving media interviews.

For some reason, Johnson suddenly felt a sense of weariness with this kind of life, and the letter his former lover had written to him before marriage kept flashing through his mind.

He wondered if he really had AIDS. But he was still invincible in the competition. Look at those drug addicts and prostitutes who had the disease, none of them were as energetic as him.

With two weeks to go before the regular season, Johnson traveled with the team to Salt Lake City for another game.

They had just arrived at their destination, reached their hotel, and were about to go to their room to rest when the receptionist suddenly told Johnson that he had an urgent call.

Johnson went back to his room to answer the phone, then came out to tell his teammates and the team announcer, Zick Hearn, that he had to get back to Los Angeles.

Zeke Hearn was holding his keys, about to open the door, when he saw Johnson walk by. He asked Johnson where he was going, and Johnson blankly replied, "I'm going home."

Johnson suddenly wanted to go home. Zeke Hearn didn't know what was going on, but he sensed that something had ended.

When Zeke Hearn later recalled this moment, he realized that an era had come to an end.

The Magic Johnson era for the Lakers has come to an end, and "Showtime" has come to a complete close.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Johnson was informed of more details: a medical examination revealed that he had HIV in his blood.

The reason for the physical examination is that Johnson's contract is still $2.5 million a year, while other superstars in the league are already moving towards $10 million.

The massive, long-term contract Johnson initially signed is now being diluted by inflation, making it a cheap contract.

In order to compensate Johnson, Bass decided to provide Johnson with a low-interest loan of $360 million—giving him money directly would be against the rules, but the loan was allowed and could be offset against the amount in a large contract later.

To obtain the loan, Johnson needed to have life insurance, which required undergoing a rigorous medical examination, including blood tests.

The results came back, and Johnson's worst fears came true: he really was HIV positive.

Upon learning the result, Johnson felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, so numb that he couldn't speak.

Despite his fear and unease, he called his wife and told her that there were things he had to tell her, but he couldn't say them over the phone until he got home.

Kelly was pregnant at the time, and she seemed to have known all along, so when Johnson returned, Kelly asked him directly, "Do you have AIDS?"

Johnson gave an affirmative answer with silence, and Kelly began to cry. She was worried not only about herself but also about the baby in her belly.

Johnson later recalled, "Some people think my toughest moments were when I faced Larry Bird or Forrest Gump in a game, but actually those were nothing. The toughest thing was going back and telling my wife that I had AIDS."

When Kelly cried, Johnson told her she could leave. Kelly slapped him, saying she wouldn't leave but would stay with him.

From this perspective, Johnson didn't choose the wrong person to marry; it was Kelly who made the mistake—but Johnson is already better off than many Black people.

After informing his wife, Johnson locked himself in a room and started making phone calls to the women he had previously had relationships with.

His phone book was filled with the names and numbers of these people. Johnson couldn't even remember who some of them were or when he had dated them. He could only call them one by one from memory, telling them that he had AIDS and that they should get tested.

These calls came one after another, and Johnson was bound to be met with anger, fear, and pain, as well as endless trouble in the future—Johnson would face lawsuits.

Afterwards, Johnson called Lansing's father to inform him of the situation. He had chosen Saturday because his mother would be at church and not at home.

The father remained calm and told Johnson, "This is not the end of the world; you can handle it."

As for the mother, upon hearing the news, she immediately went to Los Angeles to be with her son. Although she was in great pain and anger, she still told her son, "This is God's will. We will all die from some kind of disease. You will not die until it is your time to die."

After dealing with the emotions of his family and friends, Johnson knew that all of this had to be made public.

He has missed two weeks of training, and with the regular season already a week in, Johnson's personal situation has become a topic of public concern.

Finally, on November 7th, Johnson held a press conference and personally announced that he had contracted HIV and would retire as a result.

The entire nation was shocked. No one expected that Magic Johnson would retire in this way, leaving the basketball world alongside Larry Bird.

At that time, Gan Guoyang and the Portland Trail Blazers happened to be playing an away game in Los Angeles. They learned about the news on TV and were all very surprised.

Only Gan Guoyang seemed calm. He thought of his friend Raymond from San Francisco many years ago, who had died of AIDS many years ago.

However, AIDS is a terminal illness for poor people like Raymond, but not necessarily for rich people like Johnson. It is now 1991, and research on AIDS has made great progress.

While money can't cure all diseases, it can certainly control many ailments, especially in the United States.

Gan Guoyang knew that he had one less rival in the West. Without Johnson, the era of the Los Angeles Lakers was completely over.

Although his relationship with Johnson was so-so, and the two had been rivals for many years and disliked each other, Gan Guoyang still felt saddened by the sudden retirement of such an outstanding player.

He would suddenly wonder, when will his era end? Will it be when he's 50?

(End of this chapter)