Michael Jordan has some things to do after selling the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, and one of those things is apparently texting ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith before sunrise.
The topic that caught the NBA legend’s attention came up when Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast “Gil’s Arena,” which was released Monday. When Curry was asked outright if he’s the best point guard ever, he paused and then said, “Yes.”
That, of course, came up during the next day’s “First Take,” where Smith agreed that Curry was the greatest point guard ever against Magic Johnson. in many more words.
Among the people who saw Smith’s argument was Jordan. On Wednesday, Smith revealed that Jordan texted him at 5:45 a.m. that morning with a polite but firm rebuttal in favor of Johnson as the better point guard, which he asked Smith to read during the broadcast. What Smith did. Evidently.
Jordan’s full 146-word message, which he reportedly sent before 6 a.m. ET:
“Good morning sir. While the best of anything is always up for debate, I’d like to disagree on the greatest point guard of all time, with what you said. Magic Johnson is hands down the best point guard of all time. Steph Curry is very close, but not for Magic To really have a serious debate, you need to define point guard.
“Stephen Curry is by far the best shooter of all time. Yes, his movement has created a lot of shots for his teammates. He is a 43% career 3-point shooter. But Magic Johnson invented the triple-double. Not really invented it, but makes it stand out more in terms of its impact on the game It’s a point guard stat to be honest.
“We could go on, but I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I know you understand what I mean. By the way, Magic has five NBA championships.”
A lot is happening, but one thing was left unsaid: Jordan actually played in the NBA during Johnson’s prime, defeating him in the 1991 NBA Finals for his first NBA championship. Players usually side with the boys they are playing against.
Jordan’s argument is fairly fair, as is Smith’s. That is about the nature of the subject at hand.
Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry is a debate with no easy answer
It is clear that the debate between Johnson and Curry makes it extremely difficult to arrive at an objectively correct answer, especially if one of those players is still active.
They may have played the same position, but they’re completely different players: Johnson, a 6-foot mismatch with the best ever field vision and passing, and the physicality to take center stage in the NBA Finals, and Curry, the undisputed best shooter ever. and an unsolvable distance problem.
Both players had a huge impact on the game of basketball. You could argue that they are two of the five most influential players ever: Johnson’s Showtime Lakers, bringing unprecedented attention to an NBA that was once struggling, and Curry as patient zero of the modern three-point blast. It’s not just that they are products of their time; their eras are products of them.
Jordan points out that Johnson had five NBA championship rings to Curry’s four (one wonders why Jordan, who has six rings, would bring that up), but Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a teammate for all five championships, plus Hall of Famers James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes and more for many of them. It’s also worth mentioning that Johnson could have won more if his career hadn’t been derailed by his HIV diagnosis at age 31.
Meanwhile, Curry has had Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, all likely Hall of Famers. It’s probably no coincidence that the two easiest answers for the GOAT point guard had multiple Hall of Fame teammates, but it shows how vague this conversation is.
Is there a correct answer for the best point guard ever? Yes. It’s just tricky when there’s more than one correct answer.
