Magic Johnson Refutes Viral Rumor He Donated Blood To COVID-19 Patients

Jazmin Tolliver
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NBA icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson shut down circulating online rumors that he donated blood to COVID-19 patients.

The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1991, responded to the allegation on Tuesday, calling it a “false story.”

For the past few days, a since-deleted tweet made the rounds across social media, falsely claiming that he was donating “his blood to the Red Cross to help underprivileged communities to help fight COVID-19,” People reported.

“I’m aware of the false story circling the internet and to be clear, I have never donated blood,” Johnson tweeted on Tuesday.

The photo on the post showed Johnson sitting in a medical chair as a doctor collected a blood sample.

However, per The Associated Press, the photo is from the 2012 PBS Frontline documentary, “Endgame: AIDS in Black America.” In the photo, Johnson is actually getting his blood drawn by Dr. David Ho during a routine checkup — not donating it.

The American Red Cross prohibits people who are HIV-positive from ever donating blood at any point in their lives, according to the organization’s eligibility criteria.

Last November, the NBA titan — who led the Lakers to five NBA championships and won three Finals MVPs — signaled his 30-year milestone of living with HIV with a Twitter post.

“God has really blessed me!” he began his message.

“Today marks 30 years living with HIV so the message resonated with me in such a tremendous way. I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength, and guiding me for 62 years but especially the last 30,” Johnson added.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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