As we are in the middle of All-Star Weekend in Orlando, I would like to reflect on a very special moment in NBA All-Star Game History 20 years ago in this same city. In 1992, the basketball world was still devastated from the bombshell that NBA Icon Earvin "Magic" Johnson dropped when he announced before the world that he was HIV-Positive. There was an unbelievable level of uncertainty at the time, because they were not sure if the beloved NBA legend was going to live longer. HIV was considered a death sentence for Magic. However, the NBA and its fans decided to pay tribute to its greatest ambassador at the time, by giving him the most votes among all players, making him the starter for the West in the ASG over Warriors star point guard Tim Hardaway. Hardaway willingly showed his true class and respect by letting Magic start over him without complaints. Initially, many of the players were unsure of how to handle the situation. As Magic recalls in his book w/Larry Bird "When the Game Was Ours" his teammates in the locker room were initially silent towards him. That all changed once David Robinson approached him with a handshake to welcome him back. Fellow teammates such as Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris Mullin, etc. followed suit. As the teams were introduced, East All-Stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman came to embrace Magic as well. The game was a Who's Who of the NBA's best and brightest of their time. Charles Barkley even wore Magic's #32, for both the game and the entire season to pay tribute to him. The game itself was terrific, in spite of the 40 point blowout by the West. At the end of the day, it was pure fun and celebration for Magic. Magic won the game's MVP Award with the best ASG performance of his career (25 points, 9 assists). As I go back to Youtube and watch that year's game, I had to immediately rank this game among my Top 5, if not #1 All-Star Game of all-time. Drexler put up an MVP-level performance of his own, with 22 points, and 9 rebounds, followed by Spurs All-Star David Robinson with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Magic went on to win Olympic Gold as a member of the 1992 USA Dream Team in Barcelona that year, with '80s archrival Larry Bird and the King of the '90s, Michael Jordan. The man that many people at the time thought was a walking death sentence would turn out to be a walking miracle as well as an inspiration to many around the world. Magic continues to live strong, 20 years later.
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