The reason for the medical examination was because Johnson's contract was still worth $2.5 million per year, while other league superstars were already heading toward the tens of millions.
The extraordinarily long and large contract Johnson had signed back then was, in the face of inflation, gradually becoming a cheap deal.
To compensate Johnson, Buss decided to offer him a low-interest loan worth $3.6 million—giving him money directly would violate league rules, but loans were permitted and could later be deducted from the amounts in his future large contracts.
To get the loan, Johnson needed to have life insurance, and to get life insurance, he had to undergo a thorough medical examination, including a blood test.
The results came back, and the thing Johnson feared most had happened—he was indeed HIV-positive.
When he learned of the result, Johnson felt as if his entire body had been struck by a heavy blow, a numbness rendering him unable to speak.
