Magic Johnson hails LeBron James surpassing two Lakers legends in his 20th year: "He's got a little Jordan and a lot of me…He brings it every single night for 20 years”
LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson admires greatness when he sees it. That's just what he sees with LeBron James. Johnson has always stayed close to the game of basketball, even since his days as a front office member of the Lakers.
Johnson is one of the top point guards to ever play in the NBA. During his 13-year career, Magic was the engine behind the "Showtime" Lakers. He went on to be named to the Hall of Fame after winning five NBA championships. Johnson was also a three-time NBA MVP and Finals MVP.
During his time on the hardwood, Magic played with or against some of the top talents the game has ever seen. That included the likes of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. On a recent episode of the "Club Shay Shay" podcast, analyst Shannon Sharpe spoke with Johnson. The topic was what made Lakers superstar LeBron James such a special player.
"He's between both of us," Johnson said. "He's got a little Jordan and a lot of me. And the great thing about LeBron, he brings it every single night for 20 years, because them Cleveland teams, he had to bring it.
"He put them on his back. That's hard, right? And he did that and took them to the finals. Oh, man, they didn't have clearly enough talent to be in the NBA Finals. So, that's why he's remarkable. That's why he's special. "
LeBron James continues to chase history with the LA Lakers
Magic Johnson has never been shy to pay his respects to some of the NBA's greatest talents. That's just the case here with LA Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Although LeBron is in his 20th season, he's still a dominant player. In his first three games this season, James has averaged 27.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.
The next challenge for James will be chasing the all-time scoring record. That record has been held by Magic Johnson's teammate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Hall of Fame big man has held the record since April 5, 1984. It's one of the most prestigious records in all of basketball.
It seems as if it's only a matter of time before LeBron passes the record, adding an impressive achievement to his illustrious career. For one of the greatest players of all-time, it's just another impressive resume builder. Once LeBron passes Kareem, the hope will be to contend for another NBA championship.
That could prove to be the biggest hurdle yet, as the Lakers are off to another slow start this season. LeBron and the Lakers find themselves 0-3, with another daunting slate of upcoming games.