Charlamagne Tha God once shared a theory he heard about Magic Johnson being "chosen" to erase stigmas
During a 2015 episode of 'The Joe Rogan Podcast,' Charlamagne Tha God shared a conspiracy theory that he heard which suggested Magic Johnson was "chosen" to be infected with HIV in an attempt to erase the stigma around the disease.
"Listen, it was this older white dude, and I forgot what TV show I was on the set of, but he was explaining to me the whole situation with Magic. He was like, the reason that they chose Magic was because they wanted to erase a lot of these stigmas," Charlamagne said.
"People thought that HIV and AIDS was a gay disease, and they needed, like, alpha male, I guess, to have it, to kind of erase that stigma and to let people know that you can live with it. Like HIV. They gave it to him. Well, this is what he told me, by the way."
Charlamagne said it was not his theory and that he was simply conveying what he had heard.
"I'm telling you what somebody told me...I'm not saying I believe that Magic theory. I'm just repeating what I was told. That is a common rumor that's out there."
Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and has been transparent about his battle with the illness. Modern medicine allows people with HIV to live fairly normal lives, with similar lifespans to people who don't have the virus.
Charlamagne says HIV was the 'best endorsement' Magic Johnson ever got
During the same podcast episode, Joe Rogan recalled when he heard the news of Johnson being diagnosed with the disease.
"I was like, oh, my God, this is like the beginning of a zombie movie," Rogan said. "We're all going to get it. If Magic Johnson, with all his money and all his fame, if he's got it. I'm going to get it. We're all going to get it. I was terrified... 30 years later. He looks great."
There is no longer a stigma surrounding HIV, which has allowed celebrities such as Johnson to discuss the issue and raise awareness. Furthermore, Johnson did return to the NBA after a four-year hiatus to play one final season after being diagnosed with HIV.
During that season, Magic Johnson played in 32 games, starting nine of them, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, shooting 48.7% from 2-point range and 37.9% from 3-point range.
Despite his HIV diagnosis, Johnson is still one of the most popular former NBA players in the world and continues to share his thoughts and opinions on the league.