Isiah Thomas is one of the most underrated point guards of all-time. A two-time NBA champion, he is one of the few people that can claim that he’s beaten Michael Jordan in a playoff series, as well as winning a Finals MVP award during the 1990 Finals.
Magic Johnson was a point guard who was a direct competitor to Isiah Thomas, as Johnson was also a top-tier point guard in the 80s, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the two having a rivalry in the past, it is clear that Johnson respected Thomas and his basketball ability. Recently, Johnson has come onto Bakari Sellers’ podcast and was asked to pick between his former rival and three other point guards: Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson, and Kyrie Irving. Magic Johnson chose Isiah Thomas.
I’m taking Isiah, that’s easy. Because that’s who I know. You go with what you know, what’s been proven. Listen, he scored 25 points against the Lakers in the NBA Finals in one quarter, on a bad leg. See, I’m going with that. You know, I like Kyrie, I like Steph… But I have to go with what I know.
Magic Johnson had some good choices to pick from but ended up picking a player that he was familiar with. Isiah Thomas was an all-around point guard who was a bonafide superstar, being an elite playmaker and scorer on the offense, while hounding the opponent on the defensive end. Isiah Thomas has often been overlooked when looking at all-time point guards, but Magic Johnson clearly knows how good Thomas was.
