Top 5 NBA personalities who put Steph Curry over Magic Johnson as the ‘GOAT’ point guard
The debate is on: Who's the greatest point guard of all time -- Steph Curry or Magic Johnson?
Curry put himself in the mix for the NBA's GOAT in terms of quarterbacking a team when asked by Gilbert Arenas, who was also a great point guard during his prime in the 2000s and the early 2010s.
In an era where virtually everyone old and young has accepted the fact that Magic Johnson is the GOAT point guard, Curry's bold statement was a huge plot twist, especially for those who tend to have recency bias in play.
Interestingly enough, these five agree that Steph Curry has overtaken Magic Johnson as the greatest point guard in NBA history, and we rank them down based on how important their voices are.
5. Quinn Cook
First on the countdown list is Quinn Cook. Cook played with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for two seasons, making the finals on both occasions and winning the 2018 title.
Cook said in a recent podcast:
"Not being biased, just, I really believe that, no disrespect to the guys who did it before, I don't think there's a point guard better... I gotta go Steph. He's a winner. He's got the MVPs and championships, and he's still going. I just think he's changed the game."
However, Cook, currently a free agent after his contract with the CBA's Zheliang Lions expired, clarified that he has not seen much of Johnson's game. He said:
"Obviously, I didn't see Magic on a day-to-day basis."
4. Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas was also one of Steph Curry's contemporaries in the NBA. He was one of the top point guards during the 2010s.
In a 2021, during an NBA Twitter (now known as X) Live interview, Thomas had Curry over Johnson, saying:
“I’m gonna go with Stephen Curry… changed the game of basketball on every level in the whole world.”
Isaiah Thomas then ranked Johnson at number two, Isiah Thomas -- no relation to Isaiah at all -- at three, Chris Paul at four, and Kyrie Irving at five.
3. Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala, who knows Steph Curry better than Quinn Cook and Isaiah Thomas, believes that Curry solidified his resume as the best point guard of all time when he led the Warriors to the 2022 title with him as Finals MVP.
The 2015 Finals MVP said right after the 2022 title conquest:
“I think he solidified himself, not today but his career, as best point guard of all time.”
2. Shaquille O'Neal
NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal is somehow lucky to have experienced the tail end of Magic Johnson's career and the start of Steph Curry's own legendary quest.
However, the aforementioned fact probably played a factor in why he chose Curry over Johnson in his own podcast, saying:
"You have to say [Steph Curry is] the best point guard ever."
He then recalled a conversation with fellow NBA on TNT analyst Jamal Crawford in which Crawford debated that Curry is "not a traditional point guard," to which he replied:
"I'm like, 'Bro, he's listed as a point guard.'"
O'Neal continued:
"The game has evolved. His position says 'point guard'."
1. Colin Cowherd
Colin Cowherd probably gave one of the best reasons for why he would put Steph Curry over Magic Johnson as the best point guard ever. The main factor: continuity.
On his own podcast, Cowherd, upon discussing a 50-point game from Curry, said,
"At 35, Steph has a long way to go, and Magic really retired at 31."
Cowherd then said that he would prefer Curry dropping threes than Johnson dishing out passes, saying:
"The three-point shot is here and for the next 100 years of basketball, and I'm gonna take that over Magic Johnson's innumerable assists."
Steph Curry vs. Magic Johnson
To give you an idea on why this debate has sprung up, let's take a look at both players' career retrospective.
At six-foot-nine, Magic Johnson should be playing a forward by default, but because he had ball handling, dribbling, and passing skills too advanced for a wing or a big, or even an average point guard, Johnson was placed as a point guard.
However, due to his frame being too big for a point guard, Johnson became known for his versatility and ability to play multiple positions.
It became evident when he played center in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was ruled out of the game due to an ankle injury.
The only other time Johnson didn't play point guard was in his final NBA season in the 1995-1996 season, where he played the power forward position.
Meanwhile, Steph Curry, as what Crawford would argue with O'Neal, is not a traditional point guard.
Curry is known as a shoot-first point guard; that is, he takes matters into his own hands first before opting for a pass.
However, he arrived at an era when point guards are now allowed to drop as many points as they can.
Curry probably perfected the "modern point guard" with his three-point shooting, breaking NBA regular season and playoff records in the said category.