With the NBA offseason still in full swing, fans have been craving any sort of basketball news to tide them over until the 2023-24 season tips off.
The internet and social media got what they wanted when Stephen Curry called himself the greatest point guard of all time. Los Angeles Lakers fans took exception with the Golden State Warriors star’s comments as a slight toward franchise legend Magic Johnson.
Players like Curry don’t like for any confidence and when broached with a question like who’s the best point guard ever, he almost has to say himself. However, analysts and fans will just hear the answer and immediately begin to engage in debates about why their answer is correct.
The old guard of NBA legends always seem to chime in when one of their peers is brought up and this time it was apparently Michael Jordan who came to Johnson’s defense. According to Stephen A. Smith on First Take, Jordan texted him to say that Johnson is greater than Curry:
Stephen A. Smith says Michael Jordan texted him to tell him that Magic Johnson is greater than Steph Curry pic.twitter.com/y6Rg1fCDZD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 23, 2023
Jordan and Johnson had their fair share of battles during their playing days, so it should come as no surprise that he would pick the Lakers legend over Curry. There weren’t that many players that could compete with Jordan on the floor, but Johnson pushed him and made him earn any victories.
When it comes to Johnson and Curry, the two are completely different players as the former was a taller point guard with otherworldly court vision and feel while the latter is the greatest shooter of all time. Both guards changed and influenced the way basketball is played, with Johnson encouraging teams to seek larger ballhandlers and Curry enforcing the need for more outside shooting.
What Johnson managed to do during his era is beyond impressive, though Curry has a chance to close any perceived gap between them as he feasibly has at least a couple more seasons of dominant play. It’s not far-fetched to say that Curry belongs in the conversation for greatest point guard ever but for now Johnson should still get the nod.
Stephen Curry shares memorable Kobe Bryant stories
Although Curry didn’t get a chance to play against Johnson, he did get to face off with Kobe Bryant. Curry’s ascent coincided with Bryant’s decline due to injuries, though the Black Mamba still gave the Warriors star a challenge.
In an interview on Hot Ones with Sean Evans, Curry recounted some of his favorite memories playing against Bryant.
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