[ I think Pat is out of his mind. ]
<header class="article-header">Pat Riley: Magic Johnson -- not LeBron or MJ -- is NBA's greatest of all time
</header><figure data-video="native,640,360,19570756" class="iframe-video article-figure video active" data-source="espn"><source media="(min-width: 376px)"><source media="(max-width: 375px)"><img class="null imageLoaded lazyloaded" data-image-container=".article-figure">play
</figure><figure data-video="native,640,360,19570756" class="iframe-video article-figure video active" data-source="espn"></figure>Jun 7, 2017
The best player in NBA history? According to Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley, it's not LeBron James. And it's not Michael Jordan.
It's Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
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Johnson, a 6-foot-9 point guard, played for Riley for nine seasons.
"LeBron is the closest thing to Earvin that we've ever seen because of his size, his speed, his acceleration, his vision -- everything that he can do," Riley said. "[James] just had more pressure on him to have to score all the time. He has a mentality of being a scorer. [Johnson] could've scored 30 points a game if he wanted to. And we could've won."
<aside class="inline inline-photo full"><figure><source data-srcset="http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=570, <a href=" http:="" a1.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=1140&cquality=40"" target="_blank">http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2017/0306/r187793_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=1140&cquality=40 2x" media="(min-width: 376px)"><source data-srcset="http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=375, <a href=" http:="" a1.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=750&cquality=40"" target="_blank">http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2017/0306/r187793_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=750&cquality=40 2x" media="(max-width: 375px)"><img class=" lazyloaded imageLoaded " data-image-container=".inline-photo"><figcaption class="photoCaption">Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s and was named Finals MVP three times. <cite>Getty Images</cite></figcaption></figure></aside>But what made Johnson great, Riley said, was his ability to fit in with the pieces around him as the three-time league MVP led the Lakers to five NBA championships in the 1980s.
"He didn't have to score because of Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and James [Worthy] and everyone else we had," Riley said. "He was a winner. LeBron is a winner. But the way that LeBron plays the game now -- coast to coast, handles the ball, runs the offense -- it's just like Earvin. I mean, same mold. Same DNA. They're winners."
Johnson quickly interjected, drawing laughs from the crowd.
"That's why he's the best player," Johnson said of LeBron. "He has it and it just rubs off. He's just special."
<header class="article-header">Pat Riley: Magic Johnson -- not LeBron or MJ -- is NBA's greatest of all time
</header><figure data-video="native,640,360,19570756" class="iframe-video article-figure video active" data-source="espn"><source media="(min-width: 376px)"><source media="(max-width: 375px)"><img class="null imageLoaded lazyloaded" data-image-container=".article-figure">play
</figure><figure data-video="native,640,360,19570756" class="iframe-video article-figure video active" data-source="espn"></figure>Jun 7, 2017
- ESPN.com news services
The best player in NBA history? According to Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley, it's not LeBron James. And it's not Michael Jordan.
It's Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
<aside class="inline editorial float-r" data-behavior="article_related">Editor's Picks
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Johnson, a 6-foot-9 point guard, played for Riley for nine seasons.
"LeBron is the closest thing to Earvin that we've ever seen because of his size, his speed, his acceleration, his vision -- everything that he can do," Riley said. "[James] just had more pressure on him to have to score all the time. He has a mentality of being a scorer. [Johnson] could've scored 30 points a game if he wanted to. And we could've won."
<aside class="inline inline-photo full"><figure><source data-srcset="http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=570, <a href=" http:="" a1.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=1140&cquality=40"" target="_blank">http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2017/0306/r187793_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=1140&cquality=40 2x" media="(min-width: 376px)"><source data-srcset="http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=375, <a href=" http:="" a1.espncdn.com="" combiner="" i?img="%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F0306%2Fr187793_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=750&cquality=40"" target="_blank">http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2017/0306/r187793_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=750&cquality=40 2x" media="(max-width: 375px)"><img class=" lazyloaded imageLoaded " data-image-container=".inline-photo"><figcaption class="photoCaption">Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s and was named Finals MVP three times. <cite>Getty Images</cite></figcaption></figure></aside>But what made Johnson great, Riley said, was his ability to fit in with the pieces around him as the three-time league MVP led the Lakers to five NBA championships in the 1980s.
"He didn't have to score because of Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and James [Worthy] and everyone else we had," Riley said. "He was a winner. LeBron is a winner. But the way that LeBron plays the game now -- coast to coast, handles the ball, runs the offense -- it's just like Earvin. I mean, same mold. Same DNA. They're winners."
Johnson quickly interjected, drawing laughs from the crowd.
"That's why he's the best player," Johnson said of LeBron. "He has it and it just rubs off. He's just special."
