Magic Johnson met the media in Los Angeles late in the afternoon on Nov. 7, 1991, to announce his immediate retirement from the NBA after having been diagnosed HIV-positive.
Johnson was again talking to the media, this time here in Florida 22 years later to the day of his NBA retirement speech—and again talking about HIV and AIDS.
Last November, in a sparse building, Johnson was at the formal dedication of the World AIDS Museum & Educational Center.
The elaborate, emotional, high-tech and creative museum officially opened May 15, filling about 3,500 square-feet with photos, facts, education, information and countless tears.
“In the Holocaust, more than 6 million people died, and there [now] are more than 400 museums dedicated to that cause. From AIDS, we have more than 39 million people who have died, and this is the one and only museum dedicated to those people,” said Ed Sparan, 51, who is openly gay and the director of the museum. He is HIV-positive, and has been for 12 years.