There has never been a better point guard than Magic Johnson.
That information comes to us courtesy of… Magic Johnson.
This week, Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio asked the Lakers icon if he thought Warriors point guard Stephen Curry had eclipsed him as the all-time great at their position. This summer during a podcast interview, Curry proclaimed himself the best point guard over Johnson, prompting the question.
In response to Gelb’s inquiry, Johnson posed the following question: “Do the numbers suggest that a change of guard has taken place?”
As Gelb responded, “Not yet,” Johnson calmly continued: “OK, so, if he earned more than five championships, if he got more than three Finals MVPs, and three league MVPs, then he’s the best. He’s the best if he breaks the records for most Finals assists (all time), most Finals double-doubles (all time), most NBA postseason triple-doubles (all time), and most playoff steals (all time).
At long last, Johnson let out his signature chuckle and grin.
“If he got more than all those things, he’s the best,” said Johnson. “But he doesn’t as far as I’m aware.” At this point, Johnson (906 games) and Curry (882 and counting) have played almost as many as each other. Despite Curry’s four titles and one Finals MVP and two league MVP awards, Johnson still has a significant lead in virtually every category Johnson listed.
But keep in mind that Johnson said nothing at all about, say, 3-pointers. Reason being, Curry is first all time in the playoffs and the Finals (also in the regular season, but Johnson was more concerned with postseason stats). Warriors superstar Curry could easily select a number of areas where he obviously outshines Johnson, given that Johnson has never been able to make the argument that Curry is the best shooter in the league.
Right, so now we know that every player has chosen themselves as the best point guard. So what? When asked by Gelb who he thought was the best, Johnson correctly said, “Everybody has to decide for themselves who they think the best is.”