Revelations From Magic Johnson's 'Announcement

If you missed last night's ESPN documentary, here are some tidbits

Sure, ESPN can be a tad bit obnoxious and biased at times, but there's no doubt that their 30 for 30 documentary series is quality stuff. Last night, they debuted their latest, "The Announcement," which chronicled the life of Magic Johnson and his battle with HIV. As with all good documentaries, new information was revealed while some thoughts were re-confirmed. Here are some of the things we walked away with after watching.

1. KARL MALONE IS STILL A REDNECK
"THE MAILMAN" DELIVERS IGNORANCE

Former Utah Jazz All-Star forward Karl Malone takes pride in saying what everybody else was afraid to say outloud: He was afraid to play with Magic Johnson when he attempted to make a comeback. Malone appeared throughout "The Announcement" and said that he does not regret the infamous interview where he said he didn't want to play against Magic because he thought he'd catch AIDS from him. Magic for the first time admitted that he was disappointed that Karl would say such a thing.

[ALSO READ: ALWAYS BOLD, ONE LINE & CENTERED]

2. COOKIE JOHNSON IS A REAL BASKETBALL WIFE
THIS COOKIE DIDN'T CRUMBLE

"The Announcement" may have inched Cookie Johnson towards Clair Huxtable status. We always knew she was down for her man, but seeing her reinforce it throughout the documentary made her look even better in our eyes. While the term "basketball wife" may give you a foul taste thanks to the reality show, Cookie shows that there are still some stand-up, drama-free women out there.

3. SHOWTIME ALMOST WENT TO BROADWAY?
After he made his HIV announcement Magic didn't have many friends left. But his old Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley stayed in his corner and even invited him to come workout with him when he was head coach for the New York Knicks.

NOT IN THIS LIFETIME

Riley attempted to get Magic to rock some Knicks gear during the work out, but he wasn't going for it. When Magic did attempt to make his comeback, he went back to the Lakers.

4. HIS OWN TEAMMATES WERE AFRAID OF HIM
^{OTHER LAKERS FEARED FOR THEIR HEALTH}

While Karl Malone took his statements public, Magic's own teammates had their doubts too, asking trainers behind his back if they could catch the virus from him. There was also a game where Magic got scratched during a game and started bleeding. From seeing everyone staring at him, he decided to retire again so he would not be a distraction.

5. HYDEIA BROADBENT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT 
 

While many still recognize Hydeia Broadbent's face from her speech at the 1996 Republican Convention, it was her appearance on a 1992 AIDS awareness special that Magic produced that really captured hearts and attention. Her cries for her friends to treat her "normal" really helped but a real face on the disease. Loop 21 caught up with her recently where she shared what it's like living and dating with the virus.