Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shockingly skips Magic Johnson on GOAT point guard debate: "I don't think you're going to want to hear this"
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made an interesting statement when asked about who the best point guard of all time is in the NBA. Even though he was supposed to pick his good friend and former LA Lakers teammate Magic Johnson, he went with another NBA legend.
Abdul-Jabbar picked Oscar Robertson as the best point guard of all time in the league. Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson spent four years together and helped the Milwaukee Bucks claim the title back in 1971.
"I don't think you're going to want to hear this. Oscar Robertson. The Big O. I only had the chance to play with him at the end of his career, but he was awesome," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told Justin Walters of Pix11News.
Oscar Robertson played in the NBA for 14 years (1960-1974) and won the NBA championship once (1971). He was named the MVP in 1964 and became an All-Star 12 times (1961-1972). Most importantly, he was the assists leader in the league in six of his 14 career years (1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969). He finished his career with averages of 25.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 9.5 apg.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar addressed the debate that has recently surfaced about who the best point guard of all time is between Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry. Abdul-Jabbar didn't pick any of the two, though, and went with Robertson.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson didn't see eye-to-eye after the 1980 title
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson were the main reason behind the Lakers' dynasty in the 1980s. The duo spent 10 years together (1979-1989) and won five NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987,1988).
Back in 1980, Johnson had taken the league by storm and was cementing himself as an All-Star, but the Lakers were Abdul-Jabbar's team during that time.
With the Lakers leading the NBA Finals series vs. the Philadelphia 76ers 3-2, Kareem was out for Game 6 with an ankle injury. But, Magic Johnson took over and led the squad to the championship in his rookie season.
It seems, though, that this success changed his character for a while and they didn't see eye to eye in the coming season.
"We didn’t repeat in 1981 as NBA Champs because Earvin got injured, and when he came back he had forgotten what had made him and us so successful. Mammoth public success is hard to handle at any age; at twenty-one it’s got to be real difficult ... After the championship the team got put in the back seat and, for public relations purposes, Magic was moved out front," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote in his autobiography, "Giant Steps", via Silver Screen an Roll.
Eventually, their feud didn't last long and the star duo stayed together for another nine seasons, guiding their team to another four championships. Magic Johnson finished his career with five NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and three Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987) to go along with three NBA MVP awards (1987, 1989, 1990).
For his part, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar claimed the title six times (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), the Finals MVP award twice (1971, 1985), and the NBA MVP award six times (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)