Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comprised one of the greatest duos in NBA history. They were part of the “Showtime” Lakers and won 6 championships during their time together. Both players are traditionally viewed as top-10 players of all time.
After James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, many noted the immediate chemistry between him and Joel Embiid. While it’s still early in their partnership, the duo has clearly been fantastic during the recent 76ers games.
Kendrick Perkins has recently compared James Harden and Joel Embiid to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. He also added that he has the Philadelphia 76ers winning the 2021-22 NBA championship.
.@KendrickPerkins thinks the combo of Harden & Embiid has a legendary ceiling 🏆
"I'm looking at Magic Johnson and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar right now! … I see the 76ers winning it all." pic.twitter.com/8uBY5eBX6t
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 28, 2022
I said, that they actually had the possibility of being on the verge of being the next Kobe and Shaq. That was the wrong comparison. I’m looking at Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar right now.
Just because of James Harden facilitating. It’s enough that people have to deal with Joel Embiid…When you put those two together… I don’t know who in the hell can stop those two. They have trouble stopping just Embiid… I see the 76ers winning it all.
It is easy to see why Kendrick Perkins made the comparison. James Harden is an elite facilitator just like Magic Johnson, while Joel Embiid is dominant in the post just like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was during his playing days. However, the Philadelphia 76ers’ duo has not yet accomplished nearly as much as the Los Angeles Lakers duo, so they’ll have to live up to the comparison made here.
Joel Embiid is viewed by many as the league MVP currently, and there’s no doubt that he is putting up insane stats right now. He now has a co-star in James Harden, and the team has an opportunity to do something special. Hopefully, we see the 76ers go on a deep playoff run, and perhaps we’ll watch them win it all in the future.
