Magic Johnson has lived with HIV since 1991, which naturally hasn't come without a fair share of ups, downs, and unknowns. Speaking with Newsweek in 2011, Johnson, who at the time remained AIDS-free, offered some insight into his ongoing challenges. "I'll hear people say every so often that having HIV must not be so bad — just look at Magic and how well he's doing. I'm blessed that the medicine I take really worked well with my body and makeup. It doesn't work like that for everyone. A lot of people haven't been as fortunate as I have."
So how has the NBA Hall of Famer lived with a virus that many felt at the time of his 1991 announcement was a "death sentence" (per Live Science)? Doctors put him on a new "cocktail of antiretroviral medications" in 1994 (per Newsweek), which were, at the time, still being used in "clinical trials," according to Spencer Lieb, senior epidemiologist and HIV/AIDS research coordinator for the Florida Consortium for HIV/AIDS Research.
While there is no cure for HIV as of this writing, Johnson has grown old enough to become a grandfather. "It was such a special moment, to be able to hold and play with my granddaughter and see my son (Andre) actually become this great husband and father," Johnson told Newsweek of the milestone. "Man, you don't know — I had to stop myself from tearing up, because who knew? Who really knew?"
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