On the day he announced that he was carrying the AIDS virus, Magic Johnson sent a reassuring message. “You must not feel sorry for me. Even if I died tomorrow, I would have had the best life a human being could have wished for.” More than 30 years later, the former player is still alive and his legacy is gaining strength more than ever, as no such athlete has yet appeared. The years go by and there is still no one like him. An HBO series and an Apple TV documentary portraying an era with as many excesses as sporting feats have returned these days to the forefront of the media.
GeoPlaneta has taken advantage of the coincidence to re-edit My life, the book with which three decades ago he tried to put his experiences in order. This editorial release includes an epilogue aimed at black teens. “The main message I want to convey is that these guys learn from my mistake, so that what happened to me doesn’t happen to them,” Johnson says. The former player uses his charisma to inculcate a series of sexual prevention tips. In addition, Magic conveys a second message that has to do with the process of becoming a successful person. “Basketball is not the best way to go about it. On the contrary, it is probably the hardest path to choose from. You need to be aware that your chances of making a living playing basketball are slim,” he argues.
“The black community already has enough basketball players. Also baseball and football. But there are other professions in which we should be more representative. We need more teachers, more lawyers, more doctors, more accountants, more more nurses, more drivers, more scientists, more carpenters, more cops, more professors, more bankers, more computer programmers, more mechanics, and more social workers, more car salesmen, and more politicians. in the NBA, ”says Magic, who recalls that for a time blacks could not pursue some of these professions.
Opportunities have changed, and African-American teens can no longer just resort to entertainment and sports for social success. “If you get a chance to go to college, do it,” Johnson asks. “If every time we fail we continue to use the old excuse of racism, we will never move forward. We will always fall short. Think about it and make an effort,” he sums up.
