6) Magic Johnson
Similar to Jordan in that when you watched Magic play, it gave you a specific, unique feeling. It wasn’t the same, “I’m going to cut your throat” vibe you got from MJ. It was more like, “I’m having too much fun playing this game because I’m two steps ahead of everyone out here.”
Magic had the mega-watt smile and the flashy game to match. Though unquantifiable, there has never been another player with Magic’s court vision. At 6’9” he was also one of the most dominant rebounding guards of all time and could defend any position. Recall Game 6 of the 1980 Finals when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got injured, and the rookie Johnson played center. He recorded 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists and clinched the championship for LA.
Magic also did his damage in perhaps the NBA’s toughest era, battling Larry Bird’s Celtics, the Bad Boy Pistons, the rise of Jordan’s Bulls, the emergence of Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets, Moses Malone and Dr. J, Charles Barkley, Stockton/Malone, and the list goes on.
As for numbers, Magic isn’t lacking at all. For his career he averaged 20 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds per game. In the playoffs those averages elevated to 20, 12, and 8. He won five NBA championships, three MVPs, three Finals MVPs, made twelve All-Star Games, and led the league in assists three times, ten times was top-3 in that category.
Johnson was the most versatile player of all time, had a never before seen style, was great in the clutch, thrived in the NBA’s toughest era, led a potent offense, and was the ring leader of the most entertaining team to ever take the floor. A winner, a showman, and a true competitor, Magic is more than worthy of this spot on our list.
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| #6 Magic Johnson |
5) Kobe Bryant
Many of you may roll your eyes at this placement. Yes, I’m a Laker fan, and yes, I grew up watching Bryant play, but the numbers are pretty hard to argue with. Additionally, Kobe had the same killer DNA that Jordan did but was a more self-conscious person.
Sometimes criticism fuels Kobe, but sometimes it gets to him. That’s why at times you see him take ridiculously bad shots, which Jordan just wouldn’t have. Occasionally Kobe wants to prove a point, to prove himself, more than he wants to win a game. That’s why he’ll never be Jordan.
Still, Bryant is the best player of his generation and perhaps the most competitive player since Jordan hung it up.
In terms of the sheer amount of moves, ways to score, and creativeness, Kobe is unmatched. He can shoot the three with ridiculous range or take the ball in the post with a variety of turn arounds, up-and-under moves, and step throughs. When he gets the ball in the triple threat position his footwork is unbelievable. Essentially, if Kobe is facing the hoop and has a one-on-one matchup, it’s a basket, a foul, or both. Kobe thrives in the mid-range, an all but abandoned area in recent years for players favoring highlight reel dunks and long threes.
Kobe in his prime was one of the best two or three athletes in the league. Plus he may have been the best dunker around until LeBron James showed up. When Kobe got hot, there may have been no greater offensive force at guard in NBA history. Witness his modern record, 81 points in a single game.
Some may ask why Kobe is ahead of Magic Johnson on this list. Magic has just as many rings, two more MVPs, and by all accounts was the best ever at involving his teammates. The answer lies in who those players’ teammates. Sure, Shaquille O’Neal is an all-timer, but the Kobe and Shaq title teams had virtually no help from their supporting cast. In Bryant’s recent championships his co-star was Pau Gasol, a very good player but not even a top-50 all-time player, not a Hall of Famer. Johnson played with, in my opinion, the greatest center ever in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an all-time great forward in James Worthy, and excellent supporting players like Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, and Bob McAdoo. If you gave Kobe that kind of help, he might have seven rings right now. Of course, you can make the argument that Kobe wouldn’t fit with all that talent because he needs so many shots, but in the end, I believe Kobe carried a heavier burden than Magic and led his teams to just as much success.
Now to the numbers: the five-time NBA Champion, Bryant, has appeared in the finals seven times, more than half the seasons in his career. Mechanically consistent and always among the best scorers in the league, his career averages are 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He’s appeared in thirteen All-Star Games, a number that will surely increase. Top-5 in the voting nine times, Kobe only has one MVP award, but he probably deserved another in ’05-’06 when he averaged a staggering 35 points per game. Bryant has two Finals MVPs as well. Sixth and climbing on the all-time scoring list; been in the league’s top-5 in steals three times; has two scoring titles; 13 All-NBA selections, nine times on the First Team; and with eleven appearances on All-NBA Defensive Teams, for ten years Kobe was the best shooting guard in the league every year. Though early in Kobe’s career Shaq, and more recently LeBron, were probably better overall players, Kobe had a five-year window where he was the best player in the game.
The frightening thing about Kobe is that next year he will only be 33. A guy with his résumé should be retired by now. He probably has two years left as an elite player and could play four more years at a very good—or at least above average—level. If things break right, he has a chance to rise to second on the all-time scoring list, add another championship, and another Finals MVP. If that’s case, he may move up this list. Yet even if he never played another game, Kobe is secure at this spot for me.
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| #5 Kobe Bryant |
--from @AdamHocking
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