CLAIM: Magic Johnson contracted HIV from a contaminated Hepatitis B vaccine as part of a study run by Dr. Anthony Fauci decades ago.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Lakers legend has said he believes he contracted the virus from unprotected sex. Johnson didn’t comment on the latest claims, but in the past has credited Fauci, who had been a leading researcher when AIDS first emerged, with helping him cope with his diagnosis, which prompted him to retire from the NBA.
THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing a video claiming that contaminated vaccines were the reason the Hall of Fame basketball player contracted HIV, the virus that causes the immune system-damaging disease AIDS.
The clip, which features an interview with a scientist opposed to vaccinations, is widely circulating as unfounded claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines continue to proliferate following the on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin earlier this month.
“Why did Magic Johnson test positive for HIV?” the scientist wrote in an Instagram post that included the 37-second video. “Because Fauci’s gain of function study used a contaminated Hepatitis B vaccine. Targeting the susceptible then & now!”
No evidence was provided in the video to support the allegations being made.
The post, which also includes the hashtags #DiedSuddenlyNews, #truth and #Vaccines, has been viewed more than 17,200 times as of Friday.
Alexia Grevious Henderson, vice president for Magic Johnson...
WASHINGTON, D.C., DC, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Brown, LLC, a nationally recognized whistleblower law firm and leader in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, today announced t...