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Days After Michael Jordan Claimed Magic Johnson Was “Jealous” of Him, Lakers Legend Boosts LeBron James’ GOAT Case

Published 04/05/2022, 10:00 AM EDT

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Before Michael Jordan came on to the scene in the NBA, Magic Johnson most probably was the best player in the league. Michael Jordan made his debut in 1984. This was the time when Magic Johnson was on top of his game. Johnson still remains the only player in NBA history to average at least 20 PPG & 12 APG in two seasons.

It was befitting for Michael Jordan to win his first NBA championship after beating Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers in 1991. 1990-91 was the last season for Magic Johnson before his career was unfortunately cut short. After 1991, he played his last ever season after 4 years in 1995-96. So it was a type of the passing of the mantle when MJ won his first championship after beating Magic’s Lakers.

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Recently, MJ revealed his opinion on Magic Johnson. He felt that Magic was jealous of him because of the difference in their individual fame, impact, and legacy.

MJ said, Well, I understood it to be jealousy. And you know, I think a lot of it came from—Magic Johnson should have been Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. He had the smile, he had everything, he had the marketability. He had championships.” Magic Johnson might not have replied directly to MJ, but he did give his views on the GOAT debate.

Magic Johnson claims LeBron James is ‘inching up’

Just days after Michael Jordan called Magic Johnson ‘jealous’, the Lakers legend chimed into the GOAT debate. He claimed that this was the closest LeBron had come to in comparison with Michael Jordan.

“The legacy is set in stone,” Johnson said. “I just hope that he gets another championship. I hope that he can compete.” Magic continued, “Michael Jordan is here. He’s [James] inching up there, but his story is still being written, so we have to see what happens.”

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When referring to Michael Jordan being at the top, Magic emphasized that LeBron’s career still had some more moments to go, which would complete his legacy. Right now as well, Magic claims that LeBron is not far behind Michael Jordan in the GOAT conversation, just like he is close to Kareem in the most points list.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Michael Jordan’s best duels with Magic Johnson and others.

LeBron James is second on the list of most points in NBA history. He is behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by only 1325 points. Most possibly, ‘King James’ would reach this monstrous feat in the next season itself. It is highly likely that LeBron James would end his career as the player with the most points in NBA history.

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Written by:

Chaitanya Sharma

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Chaitanya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He completed his engineering from SRM University. Having determined an interest in football and basketball, he was inclined towards having a job in the sports industry.
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Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima