Hundreds of people ventured to the Forum in Inglewood, the Lakers' home court and the site of Johnson's news conference which was televised nationally. People were crying in the streets of Los Angeles, and there were many tears in many other cities.

Pat Riley coached Johnson for four of the five NBA championships he won with the Lakers. He wants the tears to end.

Strong Spirit

"His spirit is strong. He is alive, but not very well right now. We do not want to eulogize him," said Riley, now the coach of the New York Knicks. "We want to give him all the support and love we can. I'm sure all the people around him and love him feel worse than he does."

Johnson said he had learned Wednesday that he had tested positive for the human imuno-difficiency virus, or HIV. Mellman said the tests were taken as part of a routine life-insurance examination.

Johnson missed the first three games of the season, complaining of weakness and dehydration. He had been cleared to resume practice this week.

The three-time MVP was expected to begin playing again within a week.

"I plan to go on, living on. I plan to be with the Lakers and the league," he said.

Magic and The Bird

The league owes Johnson a lot. He, along with Larry Bird, helped turn it from a struggling operation in the late 1970s into a worldwide enternatinment, marketing and sports success.

"No one has contributed more to the success of the NBA than Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, and I know his fans around the world, myself included, will miss the thrill of watching him compete," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "We expect Earvin to continue to play an important role in the NBA, and the entire NBA family pledges its full support to him in his fight against this disease."

The average salary in the NBA was $171,000 in 1980, his second year in the league. It was more than $1 million going into this season.

At 6-foot-9, Johnson revolutionized the point-guard position after leading Michigan State to the NCAA championship as a sophomore in 1979.

He leaves the game with a league-record 9,921 assists, having broken Oscar Robertson's career standard last season.

Magic's Magical History