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Mellman believes, as do many doctors, that a positive attitude is a great ally in keeping the virus at bay. In that regard, Johnson is an ideal patient. "Initially [his HIV-positive status] was devastating, and it took a while for him to get through that," says Mellman. "But he's an extremely optimistic individual who really tends to look on the bright side of things. What you see with Earvin is what you get. He's a straight-shooting, positive guy, and I suspect that's a key to his success no matter what he does." Johnson says that in the early days of his illness, he received advice and support from Elizabeth Glaser, the late AIDS activist. He has also drawn inspiration from visits to children with AIDS. "You've got to fight for these kids and everyone else. Their stories may be different from mine, but we are still in the same boat."
Even without basketball, Johnson has led a full life these past four years. His wife Cookie gave birth to Earvin Johnson III in 1992, and last year the Johnsons adopted a baby girl. He threw himself into business projects, one of which is the Magic Johnson Movie Theaters in Los Angeles' predominantly black community of Crenshaw; the movie complex is one of the top five in the U.S. in gross revenues and has sparked a business revival in its tough South Central neighborhood. He tried coaching the Lakers during the second half of the '94 season, but quit after finding it was harder to communicate with the modern player while wearing a suit rather than a Laker uniform. He bought 5% of the club from owner Jerry Buss, a share he had to sell back last week to comply with N.B.A. regulations that prevent a player from owning part of his own team.
Johnson also organized a worldwide touring basketball company to raise money and consciousness in the fight against AIDS. There are some critics who say Johnson hasn't done enough in that regard, citing his attendance at only two meetings of the AIDS commission to which President Bush appointed him. But because of his high profile and charisma, and because of his own admission that he engaged in numerous unprotected sexual encounters, Johnson has probably done as much to educate the public about AIDS as anybody.
Basketball fans who have experienced the joy of watching his genius on the court, the joy of watching his joy, can understand the longing Magic must have felt these past four years. "They said playing basketball would kill me," he says. "Well, not playing basketball was killing me." His 6-ft. 9-in. body has changed, but not his heart. When Michael Jordan successfully returned to the game last year, the original M.J. felt somewhat wistful. And as Earvin III grew older, Earvin II found another, compelling reason to return. Says Magic: "My son had heard from other fathers that his daddy was a great player but he couldn't play no more, blah, blah, blah. Now he'll get a chance to experience my playing, and he won't have people telling him--or myself telling him--that I couldn't."