The worst moment from all of this was driving from that doctor's office, to tell my wife that I was HIV positive.
I wouldn't do the 'Magic Hour' again, but I would do TV again. The 'Magic Hour' is not me. Anything I would do, I would have to be me. That is how it would work.
I tell you, it's funny because the only time I think about HIV is when I have to take my medicine twice a day.
We cut him off and there was nowhere for him to go but out of bounds ... It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in basketball, the all-time greatest.
It all started when I got injured early in my second season. This turned out to be as difficult emotionally as physically.
Don't give up! Be friends with people who help you work hard.
You either have to be great or you have to be bad to get a good pick.
On his telepathic understanding with James Worthy- It's almost like we have ESPN.
People don't stop eating, and they don't stop drinking coffee.
A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom. Just like right now with the whole mortgage crisis, I want to help people get back into their homes.
I've always studied business. Even when I was a ball player, I'd read business journals and the business sections of newspapers.
I love business. I love helping urban communities grow. I love putting people to work of color. I love making sure - like right now the whole mortgage crisis, I want to help people get back into their homes.
Most people who are healthy, and I'm healthy, can't even live my life. Trust me. I get up 530-6 every morning. I'm in the gym. I run a couple miles. I lift weights, and then I'm at work until 8-9 o'clock at night.
If you want to be successful, you have to be willing to use every connection you’ve got.
The looks, the stares, the giggles . . . I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could read.
You don't have to be Magic to be special. You're already special, you're you.
I'm from there. You know, when you grow up with these people and see them every day and then you look at the numbers... it was easy; it was a no-brainer. And when Sony took a look, it was a no-brainer to them, too.
I only know how to play two ways: reckless and abandon.
Life doesnt stop because something happens to you.
On the best tactic when playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- Just give him the ball.
They said playing basketball would kill me. Well, not playing basketball was killing me.
Larry, you only told me one lie. You said there will be another Larry Bird. Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird.
Even as a fierce competitor I try to smile.
If you hate to lose, you do whatever you need to do to make sure you're business is successful.
Even when I went to the playground, I never picked the best players. I picked guys with less talent, but who were willing to work hard and had the desire to be great.
WE all have to play as a team to make the world a better place
If you want someone to be your mentor, you better be ready to listen and be humbled.
You can't get AIDS from a hug or a handshake or a meal with a friend.
If people around you aren't going anywhere, if their dreams are no bigger than hanging out on the corner, or if they're dragging you down, get rid of them.
Being able to touch so many people through my businesses and make money while doing it, is a huge blessing.
![There's Michael [Jordan], then there's the rest of us.](https://quotes.thefamouspeople.com/images/quotes/magic-johnson-116933.jpg)
There's Michael [Jordan], then there's the rest of us.
It's a burden trying to keep a secret. It's hard. It probably takes more out of you trying to hold it and keep it than it does for you to really let it out.
I never think that there's something I can't do, whether it's beating my opponent one on one or practicing another hour because something about my game is just not right.
Everybody on a championship team doesn't get publicity, but everyone can say he's a champion.
Any guy who can maintain a positive attitude without much playing time certainly earns my respect.
If you're a competitive person, that stays with you. You don't stop. You always look over your shoulder.
If the community is happy, then they support your business and if your business is doing well, then you can give back even more to the community.
I'm at peace with myself. The main thing is not letting people dictate what I do or what I am.
HIV changed my life, but it doesn't keep me from living.
Assists is what Earvin is all about. That's what my whole life has been, assisting others.
I was able to see what I wanted to do, I could see the opportunity, even when others could not, and I stay committed to doing it and doing it well, no matter what.
When I'm under the gun and I've got pressure on me, I don't panic. I look for the right solution, and then I go for it.
Because if you're going to lose, lose. I'm serious.
I think you just have to keep knocking down doors, you have to keep being aggressive, and even if somebody says 'No', then you have to knock on the next door.
I'm a big believer in dreaming. If you don't dream it, you can't become it.
For me, it always goes back to something I learned in basketball. There's winning and there's losing, and in life you have to know they both will happen. But what's never been acceptable to me is quitting.
You're the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it.
I grew up poor, but I didn't have poor dreams
Talent is never enough. With few exceptions the best players are the hardest workers.
In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting.
I like things going on in my life. I don't want to be on a beach somewhere just relaxing.
I try to hire people I don't have to motivate. But I do motivate the people working with and for me.
My work ethic is from sports.
I grew up a Detroit Tigers fan, and now to be an owner of the Dodgers is amazing.
I love putting people to work of color.
A woman always remembers. Remember that.
People see me high-fivin' and smiling on the court, and they don't think that's me. But it is. I just want to go out and be myself.
When you think about the NASCAR brand, it resonates everywhere. They have the No. 1 sports brand.
When I grew up, my family, we sat down, all of us to watch 'Good Times,' 'Sanford and Son,' all those shows that were out at that time.
For a long time, I'd work until 10 or 11. When I work, I'm on. I'm 'Magic.' I love it, but it takes a lot out of me.
I'm far from being a homosexual.
I'm glad that Gov. Scott down in Florida accepted ObamaCare, because it will work.
ObamaCare is working. I talk to a lot of CEOs of hospitals. It is working.
Everyone should have the opportunity to get affordable, quality health coverage.
I'm building shopping centers and movie theaters in the inner cities. So that means supplying jobs and letting blacks understand that we have to build our communities back, not looking to anybody else.
Sometimes friends move apart from each other for whatever reason.
I've always been a leader my whole life. I've always led. I didn't know how to do anything else.
A lot of black guys always ask me, 'Did Larry Bird really play that good?' I said, 'Larry Bird is so good it's frightening.'
I'm the one who will take chances, not worry about the backlash.
Athletes don't like to get up early, but it never bothered me.
All students should have the opportunity to receive their high school diplomas and be fully prepared for college or the workplace.
I thank Him every chance I get - on my knees praying.
I have a fond place in my heart for Seattle, so I hope that an NBA team comes back to this great city, this great sports city.
Urban America is like a foreign country in a sense.
I don't care who is attacking my son. I still support him; I still love him.
When you are honest and open with young people, they let you in.
My father is my idol, so I always did everything like him. He used to work two jobs and still come home happy every night.
Magic is who I am on the basketball court. Earvin is who I am.
It's a burden trying to keep a secret. It's hard. It probably takes more out of you trying to hold it and keep it than it does for you to really let it out.
Magic is crazy. He is that crazy wild guy on the basketball court that is very intense and very serious. He is the guy who lives and eats and breathes basketball.
The audience likes their emotions to be touched. They want to laugh and cry and feel good.
Young people want you to be real with them.
The real story is that I had unprotected sex. That's that. That's easy.
The important thing is this Just because I'm doing well doesn't mean that they're going to do well if they get HIV. A lot of people have died since I have announced. This disease is not going anywhere.
The first year was hard for me to deal with. The second year was a little bit easier, but still difficult. It took me five years to get it out of me. It was a difficult moment, a difficult time.
I'm from there. You know, when you grow up with these people and see them every day and then you look at the numbers it was easy; it was a no-brainer. And when Sony took a look, it was a no-brainer to them, too.
My dad was my hero. And I got my personality from my mother.
When a woman is frustrated, and it's your wife, you as the husband get that frustration.
I think that there are always goals for me to try to achieve, and I'm going to work toward those goals.
My having HIV has no bearing on my business.
My family is a praying family, a Christian family.
I love to be in the ballpark. I love to just go in and enjoy a great baseball game, a great pitchers' duel.
I respect women to the utmost.
I guess when people ask what is the biggest transition to the NBA from college, it is definitely defense and the mental part.
I met wonderful people playing in the NBA. Whether it is the officials, the scorekeepers, all the people who work for the NBA, not just for the Lakers, but I'm talking about just for the league itself.
I tell you, it's funny because the only time I think about HIV is when I have to take my medicine twice a day.
Research your idea. See if there's a demand. A lot of people have great ideas, but they don't know if there's a need for it. You also have to research your competition.
I do not have bad days. I don't wake up in the morning and think that I'm going to get AIDS. I don't dream bad dreams about it. If I did, I'd be giving in to the negativity.
I often tell people when you make a mistake, you not only hurt yourself, but you hurt the ones that love you.
I'm at peace with myself. The main thing is not letting people dictate what I do or what I am.
As an athlete, I understood the value of my health insurance. I knew that in my profession, injuries were common and could happen at any time.
I am and will always be a Laker for life.
