Los Angeles Lakers icon and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is alive and well today, but not many would have expected him to be if we went back in time to Nov. 7, 1991. That was when a 32-year-old Johnson stunned the sports world by announcing his HIV diagnosis and retirement from basketball at his peak.

The chances of survival weren’t seen as great back then, and former Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti was sure that Johnson was going to die on hearing about the diagnosis. Fortunately, he did not, and the 67-year-old took to X on Saturday to thank God on the 35th anniversary of his earth-shattering announcement.

“Look at how far God has brought me since my HIV announcement 35 years ago,” Johnson wrote. “It is truly because of His grace and mercy that I am still here and thriving. God never gave up on me, and I kept the faith. He has truly blessed me beyond measure with His unconditional love and kindness. With His guidance, He has continued to open doors I always knew were possible.

“I am thankful for all of the prayers from my family, friends, and fans throughout the years, and I am a living witness that there’s nothing too hard for God,” Johnson added.

During his now-famous press conference, Johnson had defiantly said that his life wasn’t over and that he would live on. He also made it clear he did not have AIDS and created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV.

Johnson helped change the conversations surrounding HIV. It was seen as a disease affecting gay men and drug addicts at the time, and he was neither.

Johnson had just married his wife, Cookie, in September 1991 and revealed that neither she nor their unborn child had the disease. He was understandably relieved to find that out. Now, Johnson had contracted HIV after having unprotected sex with multiple women, and so he became an advocate for safe sex.

The announcement also encouraged more men to get themselves tested, and Johnson’s survival and return to basketball helped change the narrative about HIV. He came out of retirement to play in the 1992 All-Star Game and was also part of the gold-medal-winning Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics.

By 1996, HIV was no longer seen as a death sentence thanks to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). Johnson also came out of retirement again in January 1996 and played the rest of the 1996-97 season with the Lakers. He considered carrying on after that, too, but decided to retire for good.

Johnson walked away from the game with five NBA titles, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, and four assists titles. He is generally regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, and one wonders what more he could have achieved.