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 standing around. We're down five and we're like, `Go do it, man, Magic always saves the day.' But Eddie forgot that he had Byron. I had forgot that he had Worthy. Elden forgot that he had Kareem. We have to play those other roles."

JALEN HURTS SHOWS LOVE FOR NBA LEGEND

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts joined an elite club last February. He led his team to a victory against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. In an interview with Esports Insider, he recently revealed he draws inspiration from a former NBA superstar.

He said he's built a solid relationship with Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan.

“That’s been a growing relationship and growing friendship,” Hurts said “And obviously the mentality he’s had, what he’s meant to competitive sports, speaks for itself. That’s something that I’m able to lean on.”

Many consider Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history. He led the Bulls to six titles during the 1990s. They came during an eight-year span. The two seasons the Bulls failed to win a championship were when Jordan retired to go play for the Chicago White Sox.

Behind Hurts, the Eagles are once again expected to contend for the NFL championship. The Eagles have the third-best odds behind the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens according to Fan Duel. Hurts said he's remained in contact with Jordan over the past few months.

“Yeah, you have conversations with some pretty good people, pretty cool people, successful people," Hurts said. "I keep that intimate. I know obviously the relationship with MJ is out there, so I’ll be respectful to the other ones.”

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