It was one of the hardest days of his life; he later disclosed he contracted HIV from unprotected sex. Just as Black Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV and Aids, so has Covid-19 killed at a racially disproportionate rate. Photograph: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection/Getty ImagesEven after he joined the NBA, Johnson remembers entering a Mississippi diner on a family trip and being approached by a white server. Photograph: NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty ImagesRacial dynamics also played a part in the way some viewed their opposition (Bird is white). Bird was one of the first NBA players Johnson called to inform him of his HIV diagnosis.

Source: The Guardian June 24, 2021 05:15 UTC