Months After Placing Magic Johnson With Larry Bird, 10x All-Star Has One Word to Describe the Lakers Legend

There’s currently a debate on who’s a better point guard between Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry. Before Curry came into the picture, however, it was between Johnson and 10x NBA All-Star John Stockton. Both had very different playing styles with Stockton being a traditional point guard and Johnson more of a flashy player. For years, there has been a comparison between the two who once teamed up for the Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992. But Stockton has always had words of praise for his former rival and that was the case once more recently.

When asked to describe the 5x NBA Champ’s game, Stockton called him “unguardable.” Praising the Los Angeles Lakers veteran, Stockton said, “I’ve never been quiet about it. He’s one of the best all-time players and I had a chance to guard him and it wasn’t fun.” While Stockton’s peak started when Johnson’s was ending, they crossed paths numerous times.

The two faced each other in 36 NBA games. Johnson has an impressive winning record of 24-12 over the Utah Jazz icon. Even in the playoffs, the Magic held an advantage of 4-3. One place where Stockton stands out is his assists numbers. While Johnson had 10141 assists in 906 games, Stockton is the all-time leader in assists with 15806 in 1504 games. However, in terms of average, Johnson’s was 11.2 apg while Stockton had 10.5 apg.

The Jazz legend understands Magic’s greatness and wasn’t shy to shower the Lakers icon with some heavy praise last year.

John Stockton praised Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the best passers

Johnson is arguably the best passer in NBA history. He had the skill mastered and used it efficiently against his opponents. The Showtime Lakers wouldn’t have been without him. He had incredible hand-eye coordination that allowed him to fake a pass in one direction and pass it in another direction. Naturally, Stockton named Johnson as the best ever.

However, another NBA legend who had great passing skills as per Stockton was Larry Bird. The Boston Celtics legend had low assists numbers and furthermore, he also didn’t play the point guard position. Despite these elements, he was chosen by Stockton.

“Magic Johnson, for me, and Larry Bird again. That’s why I credit those two so much with being the greatest of all time, they really could pass, also score. They did whatever was necessary at any given time,” Stockton said in the Gonzaga Nation Podcast.

After Curry’s comment on him being the best point guard, the basketball world was divided into two. However, when seen closely, it’s much more complicated and tough to decide. While Stockton and Johnson are iconic legends of the game, both have praised Curry.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.