Stephen Curry is the only player in the last 40 years to give Magic Johnson a legitimate run for his money in the conversation for the greatest point guard in NBA history.
Curry is one championship away from tying Johnson’s five titles won as a player. After his 50-point performance to save the Warriors’ season in Game 7 against the Kings, fans are wondering whether Curry already deserves the title over Magic.
We need to have this conversation. pic.twitter.com/1X5kAak6fZ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 30, 2023
One fan tried saying Curry is better because Magic had Kareem, conveniently ignoring the star cast of teammates the Warriors have gotten Curry over his career.
There is no convo. Steph never played his entire career with a Kareem and almost has 5 chips. #Stephbetter
— ʙʀᴜᴄᴇ ʟᴇᴇ-ʀᴏʏ 🥋 (@Bruce_Lee_Royy) April 30, 2023
One fan decisively crowned Steph over Magic.
Steph Curry > Magic Johnson
Argue with walls
— Per Sources (@PerSources) April 30, 2023
One fan gave Magic the edge because of his defensive contributions.
https://twitter.com/Doc_Zan/status/1652798982278598656
Overall accomplishments also skew the argument in Magic’s favor, though Curry’s career is not over yet.
https://twitter.com/BackwoodHokage/status/1652798024089845761
One fan tried dismissing the argument entirely by just saying that Curry wins this conversation.
Curry. Not close
— Tony Acosta (@tonyacostaco) April 30, 2023
Another fan was okay with Curry being in the race to be better than Magic, as long as he isn’t compared to Kobe Bryant already.
As long as it's not this conversation: pic.twitter.com/xXSLG9ilZA
— @TheGOATSofBall (@TheGOATSofball) April 30, 2023
Another fan felt that the conversation wasn’t apples to apples due ton their wildly differing skillsets.
Two different types of value
— Marcus Askew (@marcus812) May 1, 2023
Both Curry and Magic are non-traditional point guards in their own ways. Johnson had the build of a forward but his passing skills were way too valuable to ignore because of his size. Curry has the traditional build of a PG but isn’t a conventional playmaker, but an electric scorer and the greatest shooter in NBA history.
How Does Stephen Curry Stack Up Against Magic Johnson?
Magic Johnson may have been the genesis of the tall point guard but played relatively traditionally by not focusing on scoring. His career averages of 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists reflect that. They slightly improve in the playoffs to 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 12.3 assists. This shows that Johnson was not a No. 1 scoring option on his teams. He did what a point guard does and reinvented the position at the same time.
Stephen Curry was never tasked to be the primary playmaker on his squad, with their motion offense system creating shots for teammates instead of an individually brilliant traditional point guard. He has always been a scoring machine, averaging 24.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists over his career with a marked increase in the playoffs, where he’s averaged 27.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
With their championship count relatively similar, that can’t be used as an absolute fact to eliminate Curry from the conversation. Ultimately, the decision comes down to what you prefer. If you think Johnson is the best because of his playmaking skills and defense, you aren’t wrong. But if you think Curry is the best because of his sensational scoring and shooting ability, you aren’t wrong either.
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