NBA icon and Los Angeles Dodgers’ co-owner Magic Johnson answered some fan questions during an All Access event at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. Inevitably, Johnson was asked who he thinks is the GOAT, and he went with Michael Jordan.
“I would have to say Michael,” Johnson said. “We haven’t seen anybody do the things that Michael could do. And he was physically so gifted at the same time, smart. And then I think that we have two other Lakers following him right after that, and that would be LeBron [James] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar].
“But Michael, I would say, and then you got to throw Bill Russell in there because 11 championships, you can’t deny that,” Johnson stated. “When a man wins that many World Championship rings, he’s got to be in the GOAT conversation. No question about it. So, they go back and forth in today’s world about Michael and LeBron, and that’s okay.
“But Michael, I still remember that shot he did against us in ’91 where he went up with the right hand, tongue was out, and we went for it,” Johnson continued. “See, you too young. I want you to YouTube this, okay?
“So he watched us go down, switched the ball from his right to his left, tongue went left, and he spun it against the glass and good,” Johnson added. “Still the greatest shot I’ve ever seen.”
Johnson was referring to the shot Jordan made for the Chicago Bulls against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. You can check it out below.
Jordan would lead the Bulls to victory in five games over Johnson’s Lakers to get their hands on their first NBA championship. It was the beginning of a run of dominance that we haven’t seen in modern NBA history.
Jordan powered the Bulls to two three-peats in the 1990s. They won three titles in a row from 1991 to 1993 and then from 1996 to 1998.
That sensational stretch is a big reason why Jordan is still widely regarded as the greatest ever today. He would finish his career with six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles.
As Johnson pointed out, LeBron James is the one who is regarded as the closest challenger to Jordan today. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, one scoring title, and one assists title in his career. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a title that he snatched from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 2023.
Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson’s former teammate, won six titles, two Finals MVPs, six MVPs, and two scoring titles in his iconic career. Some like Julius Erving believe he is the GOAT, but they’re very much in the minority now. The debate has come down to just two people, and we have compared Jordan and James’ careers.
Speaking of Erving, Johnson showed some love to him when answering this question as well. He brought up the famous shot that he made for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Lakers in Game 4 of the 1980 NBA Finals.
“And then you didn’t see Dr. J walking air against us,” Johnson said. “Those two shots were the greatest two shots I’ve been able to see in my lifetime, just unbelievable.”
Unfortunately for Erving, the Lakers would end up winning this series in six games. Johnson, who was a rookie at the time, recorded 42 points (14-23 FG), 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and one block in the closeout Game 6. He was named Finals MVP, and everyone watching knew by then that this rookie was going to be one of the all-time greats.
