Let's Talk About Sex (and baketball)

Revisiting Lakers and sex
Bob Wolfley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The episode in November 1991 when Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers announced he was HIV-positive is recounted in a new book by Roland Lazenby, "Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon."

Lazenby writes that Johnson's announcement was "a stunning event that brought revelations about the climate of sexual frivolity around the Lakers."

Johnson at the time said he had 300 to 500 sexual partners a year.

"The team's locker room, and its sauna, had been a place where the star and other players had entertained women, even right after games," Lazenby writes. "Johnson would retire to the sauna after a game, have sex, then put on a robe and return to the locker room for his postgame media interviews."

Lazenby asked West how far the team went in "condoning such questionable behavior" like that. West's exact response:

"I cared. I did things for those guys. It was ridiculous, some of the things I did for those guys. If the public knew, they'd be outraged. It was a pretty crazy period for us."

Outraged? More like titilated. I for one would like to hear much more about the sexual exploits of the Showtime Lakers. What's the point in being one of the best basketball dynasties of all time if you aren't get high volume lovin. I bet if you add up the sexual partners of the Showtime Lakers it would be bigger than most small towns. Maybe bigger than Burkbank. Of course legendary virgin A.C. Green certainly brings down the average. And I don't want to know about any trim Kurt Rambis was nailing down. Anyone who would sleep with that moustache has no cooth.


Also, kudos to the Deadspin commentor who had this gem.

Kalifornia says:
Lamar Odom took this lesson too far by hooking up with someone who is definitely, certainly not wasting away from AIDS