It wasn’t quite the Kennedy assassination, but people who heard Magic Johnson’s dramatic announcement in 199 that he was HIV positive probably can remember where they were when they heard it. It just didn’t seem possible. Magic?
Everyone knew about the women, but in 1991, a lot of people still felt that HIV didn't happen through heterosexual sex. For many Americans, Johnson’s announcement was stunning.
And it didn't stun anyone more than Larry Bird.
These guys did not start off as friends. They were ferocious rivals and only when they did an ad for Converse together did the ice melt.