The NBA’s greatest-of-all-time debate is as old as it is divisive, and even among legends, the question of Michael Jordan or LeBron James remains unsettled.
For Magic Johnson, though, the answer is clear. The Los Angeles Lakers icon insists that while he has tremendous admiration for James, he still places Jordan above everyone else.
Speaking on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, Johnson, a five-time champion and one of the most celebrated point guards in league history, revisited his firsthand battles with Jordan in the early 1990s.
This included the 1991 NBA Finals, where the Chicago Bulls dethroned Johnson’s Lakers. That experience, he says, cemented Jordan as the ultimate standard.
“I’m always going to be honest with myself,” Johnson said. “The only thing I beat Michael in is them no-look passes and leadership. Ain’t no question.
“Just like it ain’t no question what he going to do to me – dunks and all that. But that’s what makes him a bad boy.
“The best that’s ever done it. Don’t get it twisted – I love LeBron. But… when Michael Jordan took off with that tongue out? Man.”
Johnson recalled one particular sequence from the 1991 Finals that continues to play in highlight reels: Jordan’s mid-air hand switch.
“Listen, a lot of you weren’t born then,” Johnson said. “Right hand – we thought we had him. Then he looked at us mid-air, switched it to the left. Tongue out. Glass. Bucket. Nobody alive has been able to do that.”
That play symbolized Jordan‘s ability to defy expectations in real time. It also marked the beginning of a new era, as the Bulls stormed to their first title and Jordan began a run of six championships in eight years.
For Johnson, the artistry and ruthlessness of that moment epitomized why Jordan is untouchable in the GOAT conversation.
None of this diminishes what LeBron has accomplished. Entering his 23rd NBA season, the 39-year-old Lakers star is already the league’s all-time leading scorer, a four-time champion, and a four-time MVP.
His ability to maintain All-Star form into his 40s is something the league has never seen before.
“LeBron is a bad boy, too,” Johnson admitted. “He’s a bad boy, but he’s not Michael.”
For Johnson, the difference lies not in accolades but in intangibles. Jordan‘s fierce competitiveness and ability to rise in the biggest moments set him apart.
LeBron, in Johnson‘s eyes, has redefined consistency and longevity, but Jordan represented a singular dominance that no one else has matched.
Barkley backs Jordan’s mentality
Johnson isn’t the only Hall of Famer who draws this line. Charles Barkley, who faced Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals, recently made a similar point on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“The three best players I’ve ever seen were Michael, Kobe, and LeBron,” Barkley said. “And I’ll tell you the difference in the three. Michael and Kobe are dangerous, they will kill your a**.
“LeBron’s a nice guy. And that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy.”
For Barkley, Jordan and Kobe Bryant shared a killer instinct that separated them from even the most elite players. James, meanwhile, has built his legacy on a different model – more collaborative, less cutthroat.
The never-ending debate
Jordan‘s résumé remains unparalleled: six championships, five MVPs, ten scoring titles, and a global cultural impact that transformed the NBA into a worldwide phenomenon.
LeBron‘s case, however, grows stronger each season he continues to defy age, adding to his scoring total and leadership legacy.
Still, for veterans like Johnson who faced Jordan at his peak, the debate doesn’t feel like much of a debate at all.
“When Michael Jordan took off with that tongue out,” Johnson said, “that boy was too bad. I’m telling you right now.”
And with that, Magic Johnson reaffirmed what many from his generation continue to believe: LeBron James may be a once-in-a-lifetime superstar, but in his eyes, nobody has ever done it quite like Michael Jordan.
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