Lesson in courage

As we begin the new year, it’s timely to reflect on the life of someone who has made a significant impact on the world with his courage. How Magic Johnson bravely faced the public in admitting his HIV infection is a lesson we can all learn from in trying to become better human beings, in facing reality and adversity without backing down. Magic’s dedication to beat the illness and make his life a platform of inspiration for others is a story that should be told and retold over and over again.

We expect 2015 to be a trying year and courage is what will lift us over the hump. With God’s guidance, we will be strong in overcoming the challenges that lie ahead.

Magic is now 55 and on top of a business enterprise with a net worth of at least $700 Million. He is a devout Christian and was once quoted as saying his faith was the most important component in his life. Magic is involved in global HIV and AIDS awareness programs as an UN Messenger of Peace and does a lot of social work for inner cities. He has been married to his wife Cookie since 1991, the year he was diagnosed to be HIV positive. They have a son Earvin III, who is gay, and an adopted daughter Elisa. Magic has a son Andre from a previous relationship and he now works in the family enterprise as a marketing director.

At the peak of his career, Magic was found to be HIV positive and abruptly ended his NBA career that started in 1979-80. His history as a basketball player was marked by a slew of achievements with the Los Angeles Lakers, including five championships, three Finals MVP trophies and three league MVP awards. Although he hung up his sneakers at the end of the 1990-91 season, there was clamor for him to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. Magic obliged the fans and returned to claim MVP honors with 25 points, five rebounds and nine assists as the West crushed the East, 153-113. He capped his scintillating performance with a last-minute triple that brought the house down in Orlando. Michael Jordan led the East with 18 points.

That same year, Magic joined the US Dream Team that took the gold at the Barcelona Olympics. In 1995-96, he made a comeback with the Lakers and played 32 games, the same number on his jersey. Magic was with the Lakers when they were scuttled by Houston in the first round of the playoffs and would never return to play in the NBA again.

Magic, however, didn’t stop playing the game he loves. He continued to perform for fans in the US and overseas, appearing in exhibitions in a strong message that nothing is impossible if you believe. Who would’ve imagined that an HIV victim could do the things that Magic does? It wasn’t just his way of lifting up the spirits of HIV victims. It also his way of demonstrating to the world that you can do anything if you put your heart and soul into it. That was Magic’s lesson in courage, something we can all keep in mind as the new year unfolds.

Magic continues to live his life to the fullest. The thing that is so inspiring in his life is that he has always dared to dream. He became an NBA coach with the Lakers, a dream job. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Magic took over the Lakers helm with the team at 28-38 and posted a forgettable 5-11 mark, capped by a 10-game losing streak. Magic tried his luck as a coach with eyes wide open and when he realized the job wasn’t meant for him, he gave it up. He never forced his way into a situation that was untenable.

Max Davidson, in his book “Fields of Courage – The Bravest Chapters of Sport,” wrote about Magic: “Ninety-nine percent of the time, professional sportsmen enjoy lives the rest of us can only dream about – playing the game they love, earning silly money, basking in the adoration of fans. But when they get into trouble, when they are in the eye of the storm, when they want to hide but have nowhere to run to, the downside of celebrity becomes sickeningly clear. Is it any wonder so many crack under the pressure? The ones who don’t crack, who ride through the storm – these are the true gods of sport. And of all the sportsmen who have borne themselves with courage and dignity in the maelstrom of a media feeding frenzy, Magic Johnson surely takes the prize.

“With the authority that came from his standing in American sport, a player who was loved and admired long before his physical condition became known, the basketball star formed the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV, published a book about safe sex, visited more than 200 schools, made speeches at the UN, worked tirelessly to promote awareness of the disease. A sporting icon blossomed into a legend of larger significance.

“President George Bush, Sr. spoke for millions when he said simply, ‘For me, Magic is a hero, a hero to anyone who loves sports.’ The discovery that Magic had the AIDS virus was a watershed in his life. Nothing could ever be the same again. But it was not, as it might well have been, a turning point of tragic moment. At the apogee of his career, when the eyes of the world were trained on him with an intensity that few other sportsmen have ever experienced, he conducted himself impeccably and nobly. The old Hemingway line about courage being grace under pressure never felt truer.”