Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry believes he stands at the top of the mountain when it comes to the greatest point guards in NBA history.
Speaking with retired star Gilbert Arenas, Curry said Magic Johnson has a “ridiculous” résumé but that he’d put himself above the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Curry’s opinion probably doesn’t represent the consensus.
Johnson retired as a 12-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion and three-time MVP. Thanks to his 6’9″ frame, he was also a point guard unlike anybody had ever seen. In addition to averaging 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds, he hauled in 7.2 rebounds per game.
Johnson famously occupied the center position when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was out injured for the Lakers’ series-clinching victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA Finals.
ESPN ranked Magic fourth overall in its list of the NBA’s greatest players to coincide with the league’s 75th anniversary. The Athletic had him one spot lower at No. 5.
Curry has done enough to at least make this a conversation, though.
The 35-year-old is unrivaled as a shooter along with hitting the traditional benchmarks required from a legacy perspective. The Warriors’ 2022 championship will likely be considered his crowning achievement, one that affirmed his all-time status.
Curry’s influence will carry on long after his retirement, too, with players at every level looking to emulate his on-court approach. The increased emphasis on three-point shooting almost certainly would’ve happened without him, but he undoubtedly accelerated the trend and changed the general perception that high-volume three-point shooting wasn’t a winning formula.
Any discussion about the greatest ever is subjective and can have multiple worthy answers. What’s indisputable when it comes to Curry is that he’s a surefire Hall of Famer who almost single-handedly altered the NBA landscape.