Magic Doesn’t Like Life on the Sidelines : Retirement: Before NBA opener, he says, ‘I definitely want to come back, but I won’t.’

Magic Johnson officially began life as a civilian Friday night.

He hated it.

“I’m here,” he told a packed news conference in a side room at the Sports Arena while the “Star-Spangled Banner” played in the distance. “I’m sweating already. I know I should be in my uniform and I’m here talking to you guys.

“I hate this. I’m driving my wife crazy. She says, ‘Go out and work out, get out of my hair.’ ”

A raft of complaints from his fellow players drove Johnson to retire again. Coincidentally or not, many came from West Conference rivals, such as Utah star Karl Malone and Phoenix president Jerry Colangelo.

“It’s like a good friend tells you, ‘We can’t hang out any more,’ ” Johnson said.

“I know these guys. I know 80% real well. It did hurt. Karl hurt me. I’m only human. Today I hurt a lot by not being out there. The suit (Johnson is being sued by a Michigan woman who says he gave her the AIDS virus) hurt. But Karl has his own opinions about things. Next thing, you got one, you got two, three people saying it. Only thing you can say is they’re not educated enough.

“Once Jerry (Colangelo) started it, it kind of snowballed. He should have known better. The players, sometimes you can understand, but I think he should have known better . . .

“I understand. We’re in a race for the West. I understand that, too. You better believe that. Don’t think they don’t understand it, too. It’s a whole lot of things. It’s not just, ‘Well, you’ve got to get out because of the risk.’

“They understood the Lakers were back.”

A string of controversies ended in the exhibition finale at Chapel Hill, N.C., against the Cavaliers. Johnson was scratched, came out and was treated by trainer Gary Vitti while photographers took their picture. Johnson recognized a new controversy building.

“I was always having to defend myself,” he said. “You get tired of that. I knew there were going to be a lot of things said, but not like this. I could deal with it as long as I was having fun, but it just got bigger. Instead of me gaining momentum, it was gaining momentum.

“I came back and told my wife, ‘You know, it’s not going to be fun. I didn’t have fun last night in North Carolina.’

“You know, I love the game. Larry Bird and I brought this game to where it is. I don’t want to be the guy who puts a black mark on it.

“I play the game because I love it, because I have fun doing it. I told you 12 years ago when I was a rookie, when I stopped having fun, I would get out of the game. I don’t play for money. I don’t play for individual fame or anything. I play because I love it.

“You want people to remember you the way you were and how you were and not as a guy who had a controversial last year. I never wanted to take anything away from the game, believe me. That’s why I retired. Hey, basketball is me.”

In view of his experience, does he think another HIV-positive player would come forward?

“They probably won’t come forward,” Johnson said. “No way. They’ll look at me and say, ‘I don’t know how he handled it and I know I can’t.’ ”

Johnson, finally out of comebacks, went to sit in the stands.

“I definitely regret it,” he said. “You regret it every day. You go to the gym. Now I work out by myself instead of with the guys. I’m running on the treadmill thinking about what they’re doing. Instead of lifting weights with Byron (Scott), Vlade (Divac), Elden (Campbell), I’m lifting by myself. I’ll regret it for a long time.”

Will he want he come back again?

“I definitely want to come back, but I won’t,” he said, laughing. “I won’t make you guys crazy. Or myself.”