|
CNN CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT
Sports Champions Discuss Legendary Careers
Aired December 26, 2002 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York: Connie Chung.
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening.
Tonight, we've put together a look back at four people who have one very rare thing in common. They've all excelled in the upper atmosphere of the world of sports. Apart from that, they are very different individuals.
We have a successful entrepreneur who appears symptom-free, despite his HIV diagnosis, the most personable man in America, according to me, Magic Johnson. Plus, we've got the outspoken -- to some people, outrageous -- pioneer who changed the face of women's tennis. Wait until you hear what Martina Navratilova has, some pretty strong opinions about America. And we peek at her personal life. And you'll meet the guy who beat Tiger Woods. No, Rich Beem was not dreaming at the time.
But first, we start with Pete Sampras, sports legend, whose stunning performance at this year's U.S. Open was just a bit overshadowed by all the talk about the Williams sisters and Anna Kournikova. You've heard about him. You'll meet him a just a moment.
But first, we asked CNN's Josie Karp to explain why his performance was so stunning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pete Sampras wasn't supposed to win the U.S. Open this year and he wasn't supposed to win it 12 years ago. Upsets now bookend a career built on consistency, a career spent raising expectations so high and leaving them so often that Sampras can be called the best player the game has ever seen.
PETE SAMPRAS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: When I was dominating, No. 1 in the world, and winning slams easily, it was -- I expected it.
KARP: From Queens to Melbourne to Wimbledon, Sampras followed the trail of vapor left by his powerful serve to six straight years as the world's No. 1 player.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2001)
SAMPRAS: To serve 125 up the middle, I'll be able to do that for the rest of my career. And that's a big weapon to have. And that will always give me the belief that I can still play this game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARP: The only blemish on his record is his failure to win on the clay courts at the French Open. Everywhere else, he dominated, especially on the grass at Wimbledon, where Sampras has won seven times.
SAMPRAS: It wasn't until I beat Becker here on the third time that people started to appreciate that I didn't really say or do too much and I just let my racket do the talking.
KARP: The Southern Californian rarely lost his West Coast cool. But when he did show emotion, the displays were striking: sobbing during a 1995 win in Australia; vomiting during a 1996 U.S. Open match; searching for his parents in the stands after winning Wimbledon in 2000 for his record-setting 13th grand slam title.
When Sampras arrived at this year's U.S. Open, he'd played in 33 tournaments since that dramatic moment and hadn't won a single time. He heard whispers that he should quit before ruining his legacy.
SAMPRAS: One thing I promised myself, even though I was struggling this year and hearing this and that, I deserved to stop on my own terms.
KARP: Fittingly, Sampras capped his comeback by beating Andre Agassi in their 34th meeting.
SAMPRAS: At the end, he's my rival. Borg had McEnroe. I've had Andre over the years. And he's the best.
KARP: After beating Agassi this time, he was able to share a victory with his wife for the first time.
SAMPRAS: She's a big reason why I've been able to kind of get through this tough period. It just showed me that I met the right woman.
KARP: At just the right time.
Josie Karp, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And joining me now from Los Angeles: Pete Sampras and his off-court partner, his wife, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.
Thank you for being with us. I'm very thrilled to have you. Congratulations, Pete. It's great.
PETE SAMPRAS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: No problem.
CHUNG: All right, we'll get to tennis.
SAMPRAS: Thank you very much. CHUNG: All right.
And, congratulations, Bridgette.
We'll get to everything in a minute, but tell me how the two of you met.
Go ahead, Bridgette.
BRIDGETTE WILSON-SAMPRAS, ACTRESS: Go ahead, honey.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: Go ahead. You take that one. I'll answer the tennis questions.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's no fair.
CHUNG: Come on.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Well, should I tell the real story?
CHUNG: Yes, sure.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Pete saw me in a movie. And a friend of his knew a friend of mine, who set us up. And here we are.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: And where did you go? Do you remember your first outing? Where did you go?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I actually went up to his house.
SAMPRAS: On the first date, she came to my house.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: Uh-oh. Really? That was very good.
Pete, I know that you were -- your friend, what, was he doing P.R. for the Knicks or the Lakers?
SAMPRAS: For the Lakers.
CHUNG: For the Lakers, yes.
SAMPRAS: John Black.
CHUNG: And he set you up, right?
(CROSSTALK) SAMPRAS: Yes. He helped and I delivered.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: And nine months later, we were engaged. And a year later, we were married. And now we have our first child coming at the end of the year. And it all happened pretty quickly. So we're very happy and we're looking forward to the future.
CHUNG: That's wonderful. When is the baby due?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: In December.
CHUNG: Great.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: It's soon.
CHUNG: And do you know if it's a boy or a girl? And you don't have to tell us. I'm just curious if you know.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Not yet.
CHUNG: OK.
Now, Pete, you know...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Not to say we won't find out.
CHUNG: Right.
Bridgette, I want to know one thing that none of us know about Pete Sampras.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Uh-oh.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: I hope it's not too personal.
CHUNG: No, you don't have to tell me anything personal, just one little thing that we don't know.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Wow.
CHUNG: Too hard. You want to think about it?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's a tough question.
CHUNG: OK, why don't you think about it? And at the end of the interview, you can...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Yes, give me a moment. We'll come back to that one.
CHUNG: All right, OK, very good. Now, Pete, you know, we are going to get into tennis a little bit now, because you did have a drought period from about -- for about two years, September 2000. And people were saying that it had to do with your relationship with Bridgette. And I just think that's awful. I think that's very nasty and not nice.
However, I did realize, of course, that Andre Agassi had sort of a drought as well when he was first married to Brooke Shields. So, to what do you attribute your sort of problems that you had for a couple of years there, because I know you don't attribute it to Bridgette?
SAMPRAS: No, it's more -- yes, I broke the record a few years ago, my 13th major. And something came out of me after I did that. I just -- I didn't feel like I had the week-in/week-out dominance that I once had.
It took a lot out of me. And I did struggle for a little bit. And I got to the finals of the last two Opens, so I was still playing fine. I just didn't have it week in, week out. But this year has been a big struggle. Wimbledon was a huge low point. When I got back from that trip, there were moments that I was thinking about stopping. And it wasn't fun anymore. And it was kind of a burden on our marriage a little bit.
But, fortunately, I met the right woman, who supported me through a very tough time, a great family who helped me out. And everything just worked out at the U.S. Open. It was a tough tournament. But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wife and my family and all those people that supported me through a very tough time. And that's why this one is the sweetest one. I really worked hard for it. And it all worked out well at the end.
CHUNG: And it's so great. You know, I think all of us were rooting for you in a big way.
Pete, how important was it for you to have a win to show Bridgette -- I mean so that she could be right there?
SAMPRAS: Well, she was -- I was struggling a little bit. And she was not being blamed, but it was about me being married. And it just felt good to kind of really show people wrong. And it just kind of felt good that we did it as a team. And it -- she's a big reason why I'm here today, having won this last major, because, like I said, I did have moments of stopping.
But she supported me and was positive. And those are the moments that you need someone. And so she was my rock that kept me going. And it really is -- it's something special, because I internalize a lot. I don't speak a lot about my marriage. But I will say that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wife, because she knows how miserable I was this year and the day-in/day-out kind of misery that I was going through.
She was there for me. And that -- it was why I married her. She's very selfless and will do whatever she can for me and has put her career aside for me. And it's really remarkable. And I'm still pretty amazed by it.
CHUNG: Bridgette, it's so great, isn't it?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Going to make me cry over here.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: I know. I know. It is so great when a man loves a woman and feels just free to tell everyone, to tell the world, and is so happy. It even makes me want to cry, too.
Bridgette, you put...
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: You put a little note in your husband's gym bag the day of the finals. What did you say to him?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: What did I say?
SAMPRAS: Well, she -- well, you want to -- just saying that she was proud of me, and I've worked hard to get here, and to take it to him, and enjoy it out there and enjoy the atmosphere playing against someone like Andre. It just -- it was good to read it.
Right before I walked out, I read it and just -- it was nice to step away a little bit from what I was doing and just appreciate my wife and what she was saying. And it's nice having those notes to read before you go out. And it's just always at the right time or the right place.
CHUNG: Yes.
Bridgette...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's the most important thing for me, though, is just that he allows himself to enjoy it. There are so many moments. There's so much pressure. There's so many things going on, that to just to have a little sort of quiet moment that allows our intimate or special relationship to have its place, and then go out there and do it, but have it be just right there keeps it -- it's nice.
CHUNG: That's so nice.
Pete, I need to actually ask you -- which everybody is asking you -- about retirement. And you said you needed to wait a couple of months before you really kind of decide. You have a full schedule next year. So what do you think?
SAMPRAS: I'm still weighing that up a little bit. I'm still enjoying what happened last week. I will tell you, I love to compete and I love to play. And it's fun again. It's fun playing the way I did last week.
And I plan on being back next year and having a full schedule and enjoying Wimbledon one more time. And I didn't want to end it the way it ended this year. So I plan on being back. It's what I love to do, but still thinking about it. But there's a good chance I'll be back.
CHUNG: Good. Good.
Bridgette, just five seconds left. Did you ever think of anything that we don't know about Pete?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I knew you were going to ask me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I knew you were going to remember.
CHUNG: Forget it. I'll call you later and you can tell me.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Perfect.
SAMPRAS: I need air-conditioning when I sleep, you know?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Oh, yes.
CHUNG: Oh, there you go.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Yes, that's true. He sleeps in a meat locker.
SAMPRAS: Yes, I do.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: All right, good.
Well, our studio will be perfect for you, Pete, because it's really cold here, just the way it is on "David Letterman." And you know how cold his studio his.
All right, thank you so much. Pete Sampras and Bridgette, we appreciate your being with us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Pete has not said yet whether he'll be playing tennis next year. But he'll be doing a lot of playing at home. He and Bridgette had a baby boy in November, Christian Charles Sampras.
Congratulations.
When we come back, a very different tennis legend puts her spin on how America has changed since September 11: Martina Navratilova -- right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHUNG: Tennis legend and sports pioneer Martina Navratilova sparked a big outcry this summer when a German newspaper printed her remarks about how America has changed since September 11. Was she sticking up for Americans, as she claimed, or were her remarks un- American, as some others claimed?
She was really ticked off at the criticisms. But then, you know, she's no stranger to controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): A tennis legend, a Hall-of-Famer, a headline maker, 56 Grand Slam titles, 167 career singles titles. For almost three decades, the queen of the court.
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, HALL OF FAME TENNIS PLAYER: Even though I got started late in my total commitment to tennis, once I figured it out, I stayed with it and gave everything I had to the game.
CHUNG: And what a game. Amazing power and cunning skill. American fans were transfixed by the stories of her defection from Czechoslovakia and her longstanding rivalry with Chris Evert.
But that success meant living her personal life on center court. Her admission of being a homosexual and a very painful palimony suit with her long time companion Judy Nelson. Even years later, after she retired from singles tennis in 1994, the spotlight continued to shine on the always outspoken Martina. She fought for the rights of homosexuals and she demanded that women receive equal pay on the courts, and criticized overbearing tennis parents.
NAVRATILOVA: If Richard Williams had danced in front of me after I had lost to one of his daughters in a match, I probably would have hit him.
CHUNG: Always trying to protect the game she helped make great. But it's not the game that's now getting Navratilova in the news again. The very personal admission to a paper that she wants to adopt a child and some very damaging quotes in German newspaper allegedly made by the tennis phenom.
Some describe her comments as anti-American and unpatriotic. All of this has pitted Navratilova against the country that has given her so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: We wanted to ask her about the controversy, so we asked the tennis legend and now TNT tennis analyst to join us tonight, and she agreed. Welcome, Martina. It's so good to see you.
NAVRATILOVA: Thank you very much. Nice to be here.
CHUNG: All right. I'm going to read what was said, a quote from that German newspaper. Quote: "The most absurd part of my escape from the unjust system is that I have exchanged one system that suppresses free opinion for another. The Republicans in the U.S. manipulate public opinion and sweep controversial issues under the table. It's depressing. Decisions in America are based solely on the question of how much money will come out of it and not on the questions of how much health, morals or environment suffer as a result."
So, is that accurate?
NAVRATILOVA: Well, that's pretty accurate. I mean, I was talking about the Bush administration making a lot of environmental decisions, again, based on money pandering to the people that perhaps help put Bush in the office. I was talking about a particular amendment that I know about. There was a vote that was about education. It was a good bill. And then they try to sneak in that Alaska Wildlife Refuge drilling. It's like, by the way, we're going to drill but we don't really need to know that we're going to do it.
CHUNG: All right. So, all of these things are things that you are passionate about?
NAVRATILOVA: Absolutely. And I think, you know -- and also what I said was that I wish people would make their decisions based on their hearts, not on their wallets. Now, the translation, keep in mind that I said this in English, then it's translated into German and then it's translated back into English again. And one of the translations that I got that was in a English newspaper said that I wish people would make their decisions based on their hearts, not on their diaries, OK. So, this is -- some of it gets lost in the translations. A lot of this stuff gets lost in the translation.
CHUNG: But what about that one key sentence, I think, "the most absurd part of my escape from the unjust system is that I've changed one system that suppresses free opinion for another?" You're trading one regime for another. I mean, that's I think one of the main quotes that raised so much ire.
NAVRATILOVA: Well, obviously, I'm not saying this is a communist system, but I think we're having -- after 9/11, there's a big centralization of power. President Bush is having more and more power. John Ashcroft is having more and more power. Americans are losing their personal rights left and right. I mean, the ACLU is up in arms about all of the stuff that's going on right now.
CHUNG: So you were or weren't misquoted in that particular -- you know, regarding that particular sentence of trading one regime for another?
NAVRATILOVA: I don't think I said it exactly in that context. I certainly didn't mean that I'm here in a communist country and that I can't be what I want to be. However, when it comes to personal freedom as a lesbian, I am getting more squished here than I would be in Europe or in...
CHUNG: In Czechoslovakia.
NAVRATILOVA: Well, Czechoslovakia, in a communist country, they sent you into the asylum. This is a whole different story.
CHUNG: Can I be honest with you? I can tell you that when I read this, I have to tell you that I thought it was un-American, unpatriotic. I wanted to say, go back to Czechoslovakia. You know, if you don't like it here, this a country that gave you so much, gave you the freedom to do what you want.
NAVRATILOVA: And I'm giving it back. This is why I speak out. When I see something that I don't like, I'm going to speak out because you can do that here. And again, I feel there are too many things happening that are taking our rights away.
CHUNG: But you know what? I think it is, OK, if you believe that, you know, then go ahead and think that at home. But why do you have to spill it out? You know, why do you have to talk about it as a celebrity so that people will write it down and talk about what you said?
NAVRATILOVA: I think athletes have a duty to speak out when there is something that's not right, when they feel that perhaps social issues are not being paid attention to. As a woman, as a lesbian, as a woman athlete, there is a whole bunch of barriers that I've had to jump over, and we shouldn't have to be jumping over them any more.
CHUNG: Got you. But sometimes, when you hear celebrities saying something, do you ever say to yourself, I don't care what so and so thinks, you know. Yes, go ahead and say whatever you want to say. But you're not a politician. You're not in a position of government power or whatever.
NAVRATILOVA: No. And I just might do that. I may run for office one of these days and really do make a difference. But...
CHUNG: Are you kidding me?
NAVRATILOVA: No, I'm not. One of these days, hopefully. But when you say go back to Czech Republic, why are you sending me back there? I live here. I love this country. I've lived here 27 years. I've paid taxes here for 27 years. Do I not have a right to speak out? Why is that unpatriotic?
CHUNG: Well, you know the old line, love it or leave it.
NAVRATILOVA: I love it and I'm here and I'm trying to do my best to make it a better place to live in, not just this country, but the whole world. And, you know, I'm doing my little part. And I'm just a tennis player.
CHUNG: All right. Let's go on to another subject. And it's a subject that's very near and dear to my heart because we adopted. You had indicated that you were thinking of adopting. But you were talking about it for a long time. But just recently, you talked about adoption and, you know, it was all over -- it was headlines again.
NAVRATILOVA: Right. Well, I think I'm making headlines more now because I played singles in one tournament. I've been playing more tennis. And so I'm more in the public eye.
CHUNG: After a seven-year...
NAVRATILOVA: But after seven years of not playing singles, but I just played this one little tournament. But I've been talking about perhaps adopting for 20 years. And all of a sudden, it became news, and it's now again the quote was changed. I said, one day I might adopt. I would like to adopt. And out of that comes I'm adopting right now.
And I'm getting kids writing to me, they want to be adopted by me because they don't like their parents. I'm getting adoption agencies telling me, yes, we get a newborn for you right away. I'm having surrogate mothers calling me saying they're ready to bear my child, whatever. I'm like, whoa. And, you know, that really made me realize these poor kid or kids would be under so much scrutiny that I don't really want to do this.
CHUNG: Oh, no.
NAVRATILOVA: Yes. No, I think I can...
CHUNG: You mean that has caused you to say you're not going...
NAVRATILOVA: I think it's really made me rethink the whole thing. I think it would be better that I help kids along the way, as I have done over the years. I had a Martina Youth Foundation that helped underprivileged children, etcetera, etcetera.
I think I would rather just do my work from a distance and spend time with my friends' and family's kids. My sister has a baby, you know, and take care of my animals and take care of the environment and help from a distance. But what I would have to go through with this kid to protect him or her from the media scrutiny as Rosie O'Donnell has to do, Jodie Foster, I mean, these women, you know, have to go to the earth's lengths to protect these kids from that kind of scrutiny. So, I don't really know.
CHUNG: Forgive me. You mentioned Jodie Foster, but forgive me, I'm not aware that she has...
NAVRATILOVA: Well, single mothers. I'm talking about single mothers. I'm not talking about just lesbians.
CHUNG: OK. So you honestly think you're not going to adopt? I mean, you know, that breaks my heart because I think that, you know, because adoption is wonderful. We wouldn't have our son if we didn't adopt.
NAVRATILOVA: Absolutely it is, but I'm rethinking it. And I'm certainly -- if I ever do do it, I'm not going to say it to anybody because, you know, private life is private and it needs to be kept that way.
CHUNG: All right. Well, if you call me, I appreciate it anyway, just to tell me privately, because I'd be happy for you. NAVRATILOVA: Thank you.
CHUNG: Thank you so much, Martina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And, Martina, if you're watching, I'm still waiting for that call.
In the meantime, though, our next segment is pure Magic, Magic Johnson.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: This year saw one of the least suspenseful, most predictable events in all of sports history. Magic Johnson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hope you hadn't bet against him. Even though it was no surprise, it was still a huge moment for him. And the night before it happened, he spoke with us.
But first, CNN's Steve Overmyer has a quick reminder of why he was such a shoo-in and a look at what he's had his hand in since he left the game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During his first 12 years in the league, Earvin Magic Johnson led the Lakers to nine NBA finals and won five championships.
In addition to being named the league MVP three times, the 11- time All-Star was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. He's also given credit, along with former Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, for almost single-handedly reviving the popularity of the NBA during the 1980s.
But Johnson's success on the court came to a screeching halt on November 7, 1991, when he announced to the world that he was retiring from basketball because he was HIV-positive. With the stigma of having the virus that causes AIDS, Johnson returned to the court in the summer of 1992. And amid much controversy, he was picked to play for the United States in the Barcelona Summer Olympics.
Labeled as the Dream Team, the USA easily won the gold medal. Buoyed by that experience, Johnson announced his return to the NBA. But his comeback lasted a mere 34 days, because the controversy surrounding his return made basketball no longer fun. Johnson briefly tried his hand at coaching in 1994 and attempted one last comeback as a player in January of 1996, before finally calling it quits. He left the game as the all-time leader in assists.
With his playing career now over, Johnson turned his energies towards the world of business and entertainment. He his hand as a television talk show host, which lasted less than two months. But Johnson continues to have far greater success in business. In addition to owning a 5 percent interest in the Lakers, Johnson has stakes in movie theaters, restaurants, shopping plazas, Starbucks, and a bank, an empire estimated to be worth about $500 million. He is also embarking on a new enterprise as the executive producer of a soon-to-be-released movie.
And tomorrow, when he takes the stage at the Hall of Fame, it will cap off his legendary basketball career.
I'm Steve Overmyer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: So, how was Magic doing the night before the big day? You'll see for yourself when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: We just went through some of the many reasons the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Magic Johnson this year.
You know, if I had my way, one of the reasons would have been that I think he's just a great guy, which should be pretty obvious as you watch our interview from the night before his induction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Hi, Magic. I'm so happy to see you.
MAGIC JOHNSON, FORMER NBA PLAYER: How you doing?
CHUNG: Good.
JOHNSON: It's good to see you. And we go way back.
My mike in my earplug just came out.
But it's -- we go way back to Los Angeles, when we both were there. And it is great to hear from you and know that you're doing well, too, as well.
CHUNG: Magic, I miss you so much, you know? I miss talking to you every day, every night, every week, or whatever.
JOHNSON: Yes, it was great seeing you as an anchor there.
CHUNG: Great.
You know what? I have a very important question to ask you, all right? Very important. Is Maurice's Snack 'N Shack still open?
JOHNSON: No. They shut it down.
CHUNG: Really?
JOHNSON: That was one of our favorite places.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNSON: We enjoyed some great meals there.
CHUNG: Absolutely.
JOHNSON: As a matter of fact, the last time I took Cookie, right after that, they closed down.
CHUNG: That's too bad.
JOHNSON: Yes.
CHUNG: All right, let's get to the business at hand.
Tomorrow, I think I'm going to be crying. You are going to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Are you going to be crying?
JOHNSON: Well, for sure I'm going to be crying, especially when I get the opportunity to have my father and mother be there, and all my brothers and sisters, my nine brothers and sisters, as well as their kids. And to have my wife and my three kids there, all my former coaches, it's going to be an emotional day, an emotional evening.
And I think that I'm just blessed by God to be able to be here 10 years later to accept the award of going into the Hall of Fame.
CHUNG: That's wonderful.
And do you keep in touch with Larry Bird, because he's actually presenting it to you, isn't he?
JOHNSON: Yes.
You can choose anybody that you want, as far as -- a person has to be in the Hall of Fame. So my choice was Larry Bird. And I'm excited that he accepted. I keep in touch with him, because we have some business interests together. We're going to come out with a coffee table book, hopefully, this Christmas together.
CHUNG: Really?
JOHNSON: So it's -- yes.
CHUNG: A coffee table book about what?
JOHNSON: Some pictures of Larry and I that -- huh?
CHUNG: Sorry, Magic. A coffee table book about what?
JOHNSON: Pictures of Larry and I that people haven't seen and also like an interview with both of us, talking about the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, as well as about both of our individual careers. So it is going to be great because it's the first time we've ever done something like this.
CHUNG: Great.
Magic, Michael Jordan announced today that he's going to come back for another season playing for the Wizards. How about you? There is nobody who can take a ball and get it around the back and around and pass it off. There's nobody better than you. I want to see it again.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNSON: Oh, no. I'm too old to come back.
CHUNG: Oh, please.
JOHNSON: Cookie would kill me anyway.
CHUNG: Oh, yes, that she would do.
JOHNSON: She said -- I think Cookie -- well, take that back. Cookie might like that I go back to the NBA, because she says I'm busier now than when I was playing in the NBA.
But I'm happy for Michael, because, if Michael wants to do it, he's healthy. You know he can still play, that he's going to be one of the top 10 players coming back. I think now the only thing he has to got to get used to is not being able to win as often as he used to with the Chicago Bulls.
So I'm going to be excited. I can't wait to see him play. And he has a better team now with the addition of Jerry Stackhouse. And I think that is going to take a lot of pressure off him. So he's really going to -- I bet you he's excited, because...
CHUNG: Oh, he's got to be.
JOHNSON: I think this year, they'll be able to make the playoffs.
CHUNG: You think so?
JOHNSON: Yes. I think, with the addition of Jerry Stackhouse, it gives them another scorer that can score 25 points a night. Michael now, all the focus doesn't have to be on him. He knows now that he can play a different type of game, having Jerry there.
CHUNG: Now, Magic, tell me how you are. Tell me, how is your health?
JOHNSON: My health is wonderful. I just had a physical about a week ago, passed it with flying colors. So I'm doing great. The medicine has been doing its part. I've been doing my part. And, definitely, God has been doing his part. So we're all three of us working together. I got a clean bill of health.
CHUNG: And you have shown no symptoms, correct, all these years, 11 years or so?
JOHNSON: Exactly, no symptoms. Also, the virus is laying asleep in my body. So it is not any -- running in my blood system. So, everything is just going great right now. And I think it's just that it's been a blessing. And I'm just happy that, again, it is going well for me.
CHUNG: Isn't that incredible?
You know, there was news today in the world of AIDS about people who are nonprogressors. And they must believe that you're one of those, one of the tiny percentage of 1 or 2 percent who do not progress.
JOHNSON: Yes, the virus acts different in everybody's body. A lot of people -- 10 people can get it and it is going to act different in all 10 of those people. It is just your body makeup, how you respond to the medicine, what is your workout routine, because, you know, I work out five days a week. And all those things come into play.
So, I don't know. It's just maybe because I was an athlete, maybe because I was already in shape. That maybe played in my favor. And the medicine has really done its part as far as in my body. There is not a lot of -- well, there is not any side-effects. So all those things come into play here when you talk about it.
CHUNG: Well, that's great. I'm so happy to hear that, Magic.
Now, I'm going to have to say goodbye, but I want to see you at a Knicks game, OK?
JOHNSON: Oh, you got it. You know I'm going to see you and your husband at the Knick game, because I know you're a big Knick fan.
CHUNG: Right. That's when I see you.
JOHNSON: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNSON: That's for sure.
And love and kisses to you. And you know I love you from way, way back.
And Cookie is now saying hello over here to the side.
CHUNG: Oh good. I'm so glad.
JOHNSON: She's OK. She's being shy, though.
CHUNG: Yes. Will you tell Cookie love her and the kids, too?
JOHNSON: OK.
CHUNG: And always you know -- you know I'm always yours. You know that.
JOHNSON: I know. I know. We go too far back.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: That's right. All right.
JOHNSON: Take care.
CHUNG: Thank you, Magic.
JOHNSON: All right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And that book from Magic and Larry Bird will get its launch at the NBA All-Star Game in February.
Up next: the man who beat Tiger Woods. Superman? Captain Marvel? Or could it be Rich Beem?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: You're about to meet a guy who went from pro golf to selling cell phones and stereos for $7 an hour and back to pro golf again. And along the way, Rich Beem turned in a performance at this year's PGA Championship in Minnesota that was good enough to beat the best in the world: Tiger Woods.
We spoke shortly after his amazing upset victory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Rich, congratulations, and thank you so much for talking to us.
RICH BEEM, PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER: Absolutely. My pleasure.
CHUNG: Now Rich, how can the person who shot the worst shot in the Dry -- in the history of the Dry Heave, become the PGA championship?
BEEM: Oh, no. The stories are already getting out about the Dry Heave. Yes, you're right. It was the worst shot ever in the Dry Heave. For those who don't know, it's a fun pro scratch tournament in Scottsdale at the end of the year. But yes, I hit a wedge from 116 yards about 30 yards off line.
CHUNG: So we have to clue the viewers in, right? I was talking to your golf teacher or your golf coach, or one of your best friends, right, one of your friends, Peter Kostis. He set me up to do this to you.
BEEM: I bet he did. CHUNG: Well, you know, my husband actually gave -- my husband's a dedicated golfer. And I gave him a present and that was for his 40th birthday and that was a lesson with Peter Kostis. So it's been working out just fine.
BEEM: Yes, it has.
CHUNG: He's his guru now. All right, Rich, you have a great story to tell. When did you start playing golf?
BEEM: Probably when I was about three years old. My dad has got pictures of me taken when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I guess, in the wood right next to the green. But my dad was a golf pro for the government for about 30 years or so, and now he's a coach at New Mexico state.
CHUNG: Gotcha. And when did you start taking it really seriously?
BEEM: About when I was in high school, my last year of high school in New Mexico. I was actually -- I lived over in Germany for a few years. Then when I came back, I really wanted to play soccer. That was my true passion. But I found out I really wasn't good enough.
So I started playing golf again full time and then earned a scholarship to go to New Mexico State. From there just kind of developed.
CHUNG: But then one day you said, I mean, you went to work at $7 an hour to sell cellular phones and stereos. Why?
BEEM: Not really -- that profession was not really what I wanted to do, but it was just something to kind of pass the time. I was just bored with golf. I was tired, I was burnt out. I had played up on the Dakotas tour, the mini-tours for a couple of years and did not have any success whatsoever.
I was engaged to a gal who moved out to Seattle. So I kind of followed her out here. I basically just took the first job I could find. That was doing that at Magnolia Hi-Fi here in Bellevue.
CHUNG: OK, so what brought you back to golf seriously?
BEEM: Watching Paul Stankowski win the Bellsouth Classic in 1996. Paul was a friend of mine. He attended UTEP, while I went to New Mexico State. And just kind of watching him inspired me to try and go -- try it again to play golf.
CHUNG: OK, so you won...
(CROSSTALK)
Go ahead. So you won the Kemper?
BEEM: Yes, well, actually I had to go back to work at El Paso Country Club and then I started playing well there, and then I found out real quickly that I was a better player than I was an assistant pro. So my boss told me one day, you know, you got two options, either quit and go play golf for a living, or just quit, because I don't think your purpose in life is to be a head golf pro.
So I went ahead and went through qualifying school in '98 and, lo and behold, I won the '99 Kemper Open, and that really kind of sparked my career.
CHUNG: Wow.
BEEM: Yes.
CHUNG: And then another tournament came along, right?
BEEM: Yes. I kind of went up and down for a few years, and then earlier this month I actually won the International, which was my second tour victory, and I thought that was going to be one of the highlights of my life up until -- little did I know that last week was going to happen.
CHUNG: Oh, man, and then it came along. And you were just spectacular.
BEEM: Thank you.
CHUNG: I mean, Tiger Woods was breathing down your neck. That's a heck of a lot of pressure.
BEEM: Yes, it was. I guess one of the overlooked things, though, is that I kind of had a really big lead with about five holes to go. I played steady coming in while he was making all the birdies. I was somewhat of aware of what he was doing, but I was still more focused in on myself than I was about Tiger.
CHUNG: Good for you. And then there were two critical holes that my husband was telling me about, the 11th hole and the 16th, right?
BEEM: Yes, yes. The 11th hole is a par 5. It was actually reachable on Sunday. I hit a beautiful drive there and my caddie and I had a great yardage, and we actually hit 7 wood in there to about six feet. I made that eagle. From what I understand, some people say that when they saw it on TV, it kind of looked like it rattled Tiger a little bit.
I find that a little hard to believe. But then on 16 I hit -- it's the toughest hole on the golf course. It's not very long, but you have -- you have two carries over water. I hit a 7 wood again out in the fairway and had 148 yards to the hole and actually just barely cleared the second hazard, but then I made about a 35-foot birdie putt, and gave me a four-stroke lead with three to go. And he ended up birdieing...
CHUNG: Four in a row, right? BEEM: Yes, he had already started his birdie barrage. He birdied 15, 16, and then after that I knew I was four up with two to go. Then he birdied 17 and 18, so I only had a two-stroke lead going into 18, but, so I had one stroke to play with on 18 and I used it all up.
CHUNG: Rich, it was just unbelievable. Your wife said that you just can't dance. That was a -- what was that up there? You were trying to dance after you won the trophy?
BEEM: Yes. Well, I was elated beyond belief, as you can possibly imagine. Yes, that's about the extent of my dancing skills. You can even ask my wife. I didn't even dance with her at our wedding reception I'm such a bad dancer. I was just kind of caught up in the moment.
CHUNG: You deserve every -- everything that you want from now on. That was just unbelievable. It was great.
BEEM: Thank you. I appreciate that.
CHUNG: Under that kind of pressure. Congratulations again.
BEEM: Thank you again.
CHUNG: Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And, of course, thanks to my husband, who's a golf nut, who really wanted to do this interview. But I said no.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: Tomorrow: actress Susan Sarandon; and the story of a teen kicked out of the Boy Scouts for not believing in God.
"LARRY KING LIVE" is coming up next.
And that's our program for tonight. Thank you so much for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, have a good night and we'll see you tomorrow.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
|
