He added, “I was mad when they booked him.
But there’s nothing it’s possible for you to do.
When people look for ratings, this is what happens.”
Magic Johnson and Howard Stern.Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images; Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic
“Why have you been talking about me so much, man?”
The two men haven’t spoken since, according to Johnson.
Representatives for Johnson and Stern didn’t immediately respond to EW’s requests for comment.
I say let it fly!
What you oughta do, my brotha, is to really get down with it.
You talk Ebonics all you want."
He added, “Listen, you’re a Black man.
I grew up in a Black neighborhood.
I’m Blacker than you are, trust me.
I’m the Blackest Black man you’ll ever meet.”
(Johnson returned to the league twice, playing his final game in 1996.)
“You had the life I wanted,” Stern said, asking Johnson about his sexual history.
“These were white chicks?
What do we got?
What did you prefer?
You would have sex with everybody?
At least you had fun getting AIDS.”
Reflecting on the uncomfortable interview 24 years later, Johnson toldVariety, “It is what it is.
I learned a lot from that.
Watch Johnson’s interview with Stern above.
