Why Magic Johnson's Return From HIV Retirement Caused Difficulty For Lakers

NBA great Magic Johnson was part of the biggest story of the 1995-96 season. He returned from a five-year retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson retired in 1991 following his HIV diagnosis. Many felt Johnson would make the Lakers title contenders but it never happened. It actually made things tougher according to former teammate Cedric Ceballos. "The only problem with that was he was our hero," Ceballos said Byron Scott's Fast Break podcast. "If you ever get a chance to play with your superhero, you stare a lot and like wait [for him to do something]." Posted by CTG SPORTS on Saturday, July 12, 2025 Johnson played 32 games that season, winning 53 games. They lost in the first round to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference playoffs. Ceballos said he and teammates like Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell stood around too much. They wanted Johnson to dominate like he did he was teamed with James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Scott. "I go back and look at the film," Ceballos said. "We're stand