Viewers of HBO’s Winning Time get to relive how Magic Johnson changed the NBA as we know it. Given the impact he’s making as a new NFL owner, the former point guard is a huge topic online. He became a changemaker over three decades ago when he was upfront about his HIV diagnosis. But while social media users talk about Johnson taking the stigma out of HIV, only the older NBA fans who were there would remember the bombshell of an announcement.

Robert Horry still remembers the impact of Magic Johnson’s announcement. And he imagines what the scenario would be now if his former one-on-one partner would make the same announcement in the era of social media.

Robert Horry picks a game-changing moment from sports history

The seven-time NBA champion discussed some unforgettable moments in sports history on his podcast, Big Shot Bob this week. The question came from social media. Fans wanted to know what sports moment Robert Horry would pick that would’ve “broken the Internet.” 

Some of the responses from social media users varied from Allen Iverson stealing Game 1 from the Lakers in the 2001 finals to ‘Malice at the Palace.’

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The infamous ‘Malice at the Palace’ brawl occurred in 2004. To date, it remains a jaw-dropping chaotic event with no resolution. Netflix’s Untold series re-examined the fight in a 2021 special, reviving discussion about it on social media.

Horry, who was playing for the San Antonio Spurs at that time, was far from the drama. And he didn’t pick this as an Internet-breaking moment.

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To him, it was the day Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the NBA after disclosing he was HIV-positive.

His co-host, Rob Jenners was immediately iffy about it. And for good reason. After all, cyberspace isn’t very kind.

He is afraid the harsh Internet denizens would turn this stigmatized issue into a joke. Calling it “scary” to picture Johnson’s announcement today, Jenners said, “Because the social media is relentlessly – I don’t want to say – but yeah, it’s mean.” But Horry stood by his point.

Horry’s opinion on the Magic Johnson announcement

On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson stepped back from the NBA. He’d devote his life to battling the stigma surrounding HIV and becoming a positive role model. Though he would return for a brief stint in the league, many fans consider 1991 to be his last season as the dynamic point guard he once was.

30 years after his announcement, it’s clear that Johnson has spread more awareness about this disease and outlived all expectations people once had.

But Horry theorizes that the scenario would be a lot different if people found out about Magic’s diagnosis for the first time on social media. “They’d have killed… they’d have so many jokes,” Big Shot Bob said. Bringing up the HBO series, the 52-year-old said Johnson’s announcement was all over the media in 1991 anyway.

And if he announced it today, it would certainly break the Internet.

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