Although he believes he is the best point guard ever, Michael Jordan disagrees with Steph Curry about who is the best NBA point guard ever. Curry admits that the question comes down to him and Magic Johnson, who retired as a 12-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion, and three-time league MVP, but after brief deliberation, he resolved that he is the best point guard in NBA history. To be truly great in any space, one must believe sincerely in himself or herself. How will you convince others to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself?
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Jordan Disagrees with Steph
In a text message to Stephen A. Smith, Michael Jordan, who many regard as the greatest player in NBA history, asserted that Steph Curry is not a better point guard than Magic Johnson. Stephen A. Smith read Michael Jordan’s text message to him about Steph Curry live on ESPN’s “First Take.” Smith revealed that Jordan said, “Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic.” Jordan gave Curry’s shooting prowess the highest honor possible: “Steph Curry is by far the greatest shooter of all time.” Before moving on to what M.J. stated further, we must appreciate the high praise in that statement.
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We can think of many great past NBA shooters (such as Ray Allen and Reggie Miller). Therefore, to pay homage to Steph Curry with such words from, again, arguably the best player in NBA history, deserves more attention than his contending that Curry is “very close, but not in front of Magic.” In Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Fredric Jameson asserts that our present moment, postmodernism, is characterized by many people operating in “nostalgia mode.” Given that Michael Jordan had classic and intense battles with Magic Johnson, offering him intimate knowledge of his brilliant play, one cannot fault him for choosing Magic over Steph. I hope, however, that he is not blinded by the same nostalgia that led Charles Barkley to question Steph Curry’s toughness.
Michael Jordan continued, “…but Magic Johnson invented the triple-double. Not true invented, but makes it more noticeable in terms of impact on the game. It’s a point guard stat, to be honest. Magic was the best. By the way, Magic has five NBA championships.” Without question, Magic and Steph are the greatest point guards in NBA history. However, when M.J. wants to employ the Magic’s prowess for generating triple-doubles, I can counter that with Steph Curry’s incomparable talent for making three-pointers—like no one else in NBA history. And let’s never forget how Steph changed the game with the distance from which he routinely hits those three-pointers. We should not, however, resolve who is the best point guard in NBA history on a single statistic.
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Also, M.J. tried to throw a little shade when he stated, “By the way, Magic has five NBA championships.” Yes, he has five NBA championships, but he will never have another one. Steph Curry has several more years to add to the four NBA championships he has won.
Parting Thoughts
Steph Curry and Magic Johnson have equally impacted the point guard position. Magic is the best point guard of his era, and Steph is the best of his. For now, let’s leave it at that. Although Michael Jordan disagrees with Steph Curry about who is the best point guard in NBA history, his opinion, while valued, is just one opinion.
