Michael Jordan's ruthless advice to 'Magic' Johnson after his return from HIV illness
On his return to the court during the 1996-97 season, 'Magic' played his second game back with the Lakers against the Chicago Bulls.
Even though he is one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, Earving 'Magic' Johnson truly went through some incredible hardships in his life. After the golden era of the 'Showtime' Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson was struck with an HIV positive diagnosis that completely turned his world upside down.
He had to momentarily retire from the NBA in order to get the proper treatment and confirm his life wasn't in danger.
Back then, HIV was a virus that medical professionals knew very little about. Society was also in uncharted waters and they didn't know how to react to people who were infected by it. But Johnson prevailed and eventually returned to play basketball.
On his return to the court during the 1996-97 season, 'Magic' played his second game back with the Lakers against the Chicago Bulls.
We are talking about the greatest team in modern NBA history, the one led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
With all the excitement he had for returning to play basketball after this diagnosis, 'Magic' Johnson was probably expecting some encouraging words from his peers.
Michael Jordan won the 1992 Olympic Games Gold Medal but he still remains competitive against him despite everything. Classic Michael Jordan was a little cold-blooded when he schooled 'Magic' on his return to the court and gave him a reality check.
On his most recent appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', Johnson said this about playing against the Chicago Bulls on his return back in 1996: "They really showed me the difference between a championship team and a playoff team.
They were a championship team, we were just a regular team. And they played me so hard. They were physical, they pushed me around. They roughed me up, no question about it.
"Michael, after that game, he pulled me aside - I don't think I've ever told anybody this. He met me in between the locker rooms, and he said, 'Earvin, you have to remember now, you're not with Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], you're not with James Worthy. All the guys you used to play with, Showtime, are not on that Laker team anymore. So remember, maybe you should think about retiring."
