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The title of the thread asks the question: In their prime, who would you rather have on your favorite team> Lebron James or Magic Johnson?
This not a bask Lebron thread. I like him a lot. He's great to watch to play especially when he is on. But I woud take Magic on my team before picking Lebron. Magic made the people around him better. He was great at getting others the ball. Lebron can be great at the same thing, but I just feel that Magic was better. Plus, he added flair to his game.
I think Lebron has a more complete game. The one thing Magic has on Lebron is his passing skills. And Lebron is a great passer in his own right. Everything else. Defense, rebounding, shooting, block shots. I would give that to Lebron. As far as team leaders they are both very good. But overall Lebron.
Lebron hands down. I just look back at the 2015 season and Lebron in the finals even though the Cavs lost. He carried that team on his back in both the playoffs and finals.
They’re both great, but they represent the NBA differently. Lebron represents the kid who has amazing skills, left high school and didn’t play college ball, and living the dream.
Magic wore the purple and yellow first, and was really the face of the franchise for many years. Him in Laker uniform was more IMPACTFUL overall. I mean, Magic is an OG of basketball. He really is one of the key reasons for the Los Angeles basketball championships, with the help of Kareem of course. Lebron did not make the Lakers what they are today. If Magic Johnson ended his career in Cleveland I wonder if it would be as significant as Lebron with the Lakers.
To answer your question, however, in terms of their prime? I would go with Magic on my team. They are both the same height. I feel like Magic has a better IQ of basketball and court awareness. They are both definitely deserving of going to the NBA Hall of Fame.
It's tough to compare because Magic never played for anyone but the Showtime Lakers. I voted Lebron because it's impossible to ignore the immediate impact he had on any team he joined. Look how many years he carried Cleveland to the Finals and made the East a one-team conference.
Of course opinions are subjective so there is no right answer My personal opinion is that it has to be Lebron easy. He beats Magic in just about every category except passing, and he was great in that too.
I voted for Magic because he could make any player better. LeBron is harder to build around, lots of good players have not played well with LeBron. But is LeBron greater overall? I think so.
But choosing the best NBA players in history is so hard. For instance, Jordan edges out Kobe Bryant but they were similar players. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson was much better than Kobe in several ways, especially as a leader. So was Magic better than Jordan in his prime? Who knows.
It comes down to favorites. I tend to not honor championships as much as others do. No way Bill Russell was better than Shaq, Hakeem, and Kareem, doesn't even pass the eye test. Russell was about as good as Ben Wallace.
I would say Magic in today's era, the closest player that approximates him would probably be Jason Kidd. A big guard that is pass first, ran those fast breaking offenses in Phoenix and New Jersey. Obviously not a perfect comparison as Magic was a better scorer, but Kidd was a much better defender. So would a 20 per cent better Jason Kidd be considered greater than Lebron? I would say no.
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