Back in August, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry went on Gilbert Arenas' podcast and declared himself the best point guard of all-time. That drew some attention from Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, which Curry has now addressed. The two NBA Hall of Famers both stated their disagreements and each pointed to Johnson as the correct answer.
In an appearance on 95.7 The Game, Curry didn't seem to take any offense at the pushback from the two multi-time champions. Curry agreed that the difference in opinion was due to a "generational" gap, but he also said these types of debates are what make sports like basketball so much fun.
"It's also the unsolvable debate," Curry said. "That is why everyone asks those questions. That's why everybody loves to talk about them. I can say I'm the best, Magic can defend his position, and any other point guard can chime in. The beautiful thing about basketball and the eras. The way I answered the question at first, obviously with so much respect and admiration for what Magic did in his career. His resume is second to none."
After Curry's original comments, Johnson went on CBS Sports Radio's "The Zach Gelb Show" and made the statistical case for himself.
"If he has more than five championships, if he's got more than three Finals MVPs and three league MVPs, then he's the greatest," Johnson said. "If he's got more than No. 1 in assists all-time in the Finals, No. 2 in double-doubles, No. 1 in triple-doubles all-time in the NBA playoffs, No. 4 in steals all-time in the in playoffs. If he's got more than those numbers, then he's the best."
In a text to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Jordan said that Johnson was "easily" the best point guard of all-time. Jordan said the way Johnson consistently threw up double-doubles gives him the edge over Curry.
"Steph Curry is by far the best shooter of all-time," Jordan wrote. "Yes, his movement has created many shots for his teammates, he's a career 45-percent 3-point shooter, but Magic Johnson invented the triple-double. Not true invented, but makes it more noticeable in terms of the impact on the game. It's a point guard stat, to be honest. Magic was the best."
Curry still has time to build upon his own resume. He's entering his 15th NBA season, and he is looking to tie Johnson with his fifth NBA title.
