The primary purpose of Johnson appearing on the show was to dispel the rumors about him being gay.
During that ti, AIDS was considered a fatal disease exclusive to the gay community, mainly because it was most widespread within that circle early on.
Before the show, both the television station and the host were under imnse pressure. They feared that interviewing an AIDS patient might cause a negative impact, spark a dia storm, or that they might not be able to handle Johnson’s negative emotions during the show, yet they soldiered on and produced the program despite the pressure.
After the broadcast, the response was surprisingly positive. Johnson’s favorable dia reputation accumulated over more than a decade gained him the audience’s welco. When he appeared, the cheers and applause lasted for two minutes.
Johnson clarified his orientation while urging everyone to conduct themselves properly, citing AC Green as an example. He said he should have realized earlier that AC Green’s presence was a reminder from God, which he ignored.
After the talk show, Johnson gave an exclusive interview to "Sports Illustrated" to further clarify his orientation issue. He said:
"I’ve never had a homosexual experience... I’m sure I contracted the virus through unprotected relations with an infected woman. The problem is, I can’t specify the ti, place, and person. Before I got married, I was never short of partners. After arriving in Los Angeles in 1979, I had relations with as many won as I could, most without protection."
With such candor, Johnson exposed the indulgent side of his personal life, bringing this previously castle-hidden Yellow Magic into the public eye.
Johnson’s image collapsed. When he announced he was infected with AIDS, many endorsents were still willing to use him. After all, being ill wasn’t considered a cardinal sin, and he still had a good image.
But revealing his past with reckless relationships was a huge blow to his image, especially since many of the comrcial brands he endorsed targeted teenagers, such as Converse, Nestle, Pepsi-Cola, Spalding, Kentucky, Virgin, etc., where a good spokesperson image is crucial.
After the talk show and exclusive interview, these companies issued statents, called Johnson’s agent, expressing support and appreciation for Johnson’s honesty, and stated they would not terminate their contracts with him.
But despite saying this, Nestle quietly abandoned the ad plan they had prepared featuring Johnson. Converse then stopped the marketing funds allocated to Johnson and suspended all comrcial promotions and marketing plans, and Pepsi-Cola excluded Johnson from their advertising shooting plans, which essentially declared Magic Johnson’s death in comrcial endorsents.
Of course, not all companies abandoned Magic. A condom company and a pharmaceutical company offered Johnson endorsent invitations, which he promptly rejected. He didn’t want to earn money from being associated with AIDS.
He still longed to play basketball and hoped to be a basketball player, to compete, especially in the Olympics and the upcoming All-Star Ga.
As ti reached February 1992, this year’s All-Star Ga would be held in Portland.
On February 4th, the Rose Garden Arena, standing beside morial Coliseum and after a year and a half of construction, was officially completed, ready to be used in this year’s All-Star Ga.
Typically, the construction period for large stadiums is around two and a half years. However, to et the 1992 All-Star Ga deadline, Tang Jianguo worked overti and spent extra money, completing it a year early, which was astonishingly fast.
This construction project bid utilized the construction company jointly run by Kenny-Carl and Gan Guoyang. To rush the work, a considerable number of Chinese workers were employed.
These Chinese workers were industrious and skilled. They lived on the construction site for a year and a half, earning in US dollars, earning in a year and a half what might be impossible to earn in a lifeti otherwise.
With the Rose Garden Arena put into use, the All-Star voting also ca to an end.
Playing at ho, Gan Guoyang unsurprisingly topped the ballot list.
Following closely wasn’t Michael Jordan, but the already retired Magic Johnson.
The fans still wished to see Johnson make an appearance on the court. Johnson submitted an application to Stern, hoping to participate in the 1992 Portland All-Star Ga.
Stern expressed support for this. He also wanted to give this forr superstar a decent exit ceremony, and Johnson’s participation could showcase the inclusiveness of the NBA.
However, so players disagreed. They worried about virus infection, while so players got tired of Johnson’s smile and the headlines he monopolized over the past months due to AIDS.
Mark Price, for example, questioned the safety of the ga. After all, basketball is a sport of close contact. Players wear short clothes and engage in intense confrontations that involve a lot of body contact, where there could be wounds, which might catch the virus.
Karl Malone clearly stated that he did not wish to play on the sa court with Johnson. He feared catching the virus.
What saddened Johnson the most was that forr Lakers teammates Byron Stern and AC Green also believed that if Johnson had retired, he shouldn’t participate in the ga, worrying about Johnson’s health condition.
However, things took a turn during a ga between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers in early February.
In Los Angeles, Johnson was watching from the sidelines when, during warm-ups, Gan Guoyang suddenly invited Johnson to the court for a one-on-one duel with him.
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