Drexler says Dream Team pitied Magic because “he was going to die”

[Teagz]

PBT

It is really hard to explain to people who are growing up now the spector that HIV/AIDS cast back in the late 1980s and early 1990s — it was a death sentence that you could get through sex. There were drug regimines just coming on the market but nobody would know if they would work, nobody really knew what was going to happen to people who contracted the disease or long you could live with ot.

That was the environment around HIV-positive Magic Johnson and the Dream team in 1992.

Long-time Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum has a new book coming out on that original Dream Team — a book I can’t wait to read — and Deadspin got some excerpts with Clyde Drexler talking about Magic on that team.

Drexler was never fond of Magic’s comeback — from the 1992 All-Star Game where Magic dropped 25 points on — and those bitter feelings are still there.

“Magic was always…” And Drexler goes into a decent Magic impression: “‘Come on, Clyde, come on, Clyde, get with me, get with me,’ and making all that noise. And, really, he couldn’t play much by that time. He couldn’t guard his shadow.”

“But you have to have to understand what was going on then. Everybody kept waiting for Magic to die. Every time he’d run up the court everybody would feel sorry for the guy, and he’d get all that benefit of the doubt. Magic came across like, ‘All this is my stuff.’ Really? Get outta here, dude. He was on the declining end of his career.”

Drexler had played exquisitely in the 1992 All-Star Game in Orlando, although the MVP award eventually went to Magic, who had been added by Commissioner Stern as a special thirteenth player to the Western Conference roster. “If we all knew Magic was going to live this long, I would’ve gotten the MVP of that game, and Magic probably wouldn’t have made the Olympic team.”

Wow. Bitter much?

I think these comments say a lot more about Drexler than they do about Magic or the Dream Team.

Fuck you Clyde.

 

[Pugz]

to be honest it all probably true. regardless of how anyone takes that, its true. then everyone though "you have aids? youll die tomorrow". he was clearly added to the all-star game because he was magic johnson and he was sick. they all thought it would be the last time they got to see him play. same can be said for the olympics.

 

[The Young One]

Clyde is foul for this..Some members have said some asinine shit regarding the dream team..

 

[Teagz]

“If we all knew Magic was going to live this long, I would’ve gotten the MVP of that game, and Magic probably wouldn’t have made the Olympic team.”

This is what really turned me off. Pathetic.

 

[Pugz]

i should add to what i said by saying i dont support this at all though.

 

[Hurricane Season]

If he were dead, he'd be fine with it.

There's your silver lining.

 

[SaintFan25]

to be honest it all probably true. regardless of how anyone takes that, its true. then everyone though "you have aids? youll die tomorrow". he was clearly added to the all-star game because he was magic johnson and he was sick. they all thought it would be the last time they got to see him play. same can be said for the olympics.

Yeah I agree.

I love Clyde but he shouldn't have said this though, even if it is true.

 

[adamu]

this the excerpt they released from the upcoming book?

it probably was the mind set back then, nobody knew anything about the disease.

doesnt change the fact that clyde just lost all respect.

 

[SaintFan25]

Apparently he's denying the entire thing.

"Magic and I have a friendship that goes back more than 28 years and I would never say such hurtful things," Drexler's statement said. "I have reached out to Magic to assure him that I did not say those things and to apologize to him and his family for even having to respond to something as baseless as this."

"I have nothing but love and respect for Magic Johnson and all that he has accomplished in basketball and in life. I always took pride in being a great teammate throughout my career and I would never have made the statements that were reported in Jack McCallum's book."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8105359/clyde-drexler-denies-negative-hiv-statements-magic-johnson-book-dream-team

 

[MR.ballin]

IMO it's true and disgusting to say the least.