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To most fans, pundits and players around the world, Kobe Bryant is considered the second-best shooting guard of all time, with relative ease. Other than the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, no shooting guard has collected as many accolades during his Hall of Fame career as Kobe Bryant, who was also the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty that won five NBA championships. An elite scorer and contender, Bryant’s resume includes five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs and an 81-point burst in a single game. Not to mention, there’s probably no better tough shooter and clutch player than the iconic Lakers star.
Meanwhile, superstar point guard Magic Johnson is one of the most dominant players of all time. He is considered the greatest leader in basketball history because of his playmaking skills and outstanding basketball IQ that led to an impressive 5 NBA championships in his career, all with the Lakers. Magic also won 3 Finals MVP awards and 3 MVP awards with the Lakers, while also leading 4 assists. No point guard has meant more to the Los Angeles Lakers than Magic Johnson, as he won championships and was the catalyst for the “Showtime” era for one of the most popular franchises in NBA history.
Bryant and Magic had amazing careers and should be named as two of the top 10 players who ever had a great performance on the court. But there are similarities between the two players, both of whom won NBA championships with the Lakers and were the team’s best players in many aspects of their careers. But which superstar has more influence as a member of the Lakers? In order to differentiate the two greatest Lakers of all time, it’s time to compare the careers of the two players based on their most important accomplishments and statistics. In this all-time great comparison, there can only be one winner.
championship
Kobe Bryant: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
Magic Johnson: 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
Kobe Bryant has one of the most impressive résumés of all time, winning five championship rings, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. Impressive in his debut in 2000, the young shooting guard followed in Shaquille O’Neal’s footsteps while providing clutch scoring around him. Bryant also won the 2001 and 2002 championships with Shaq, completing a historic three-peat. Like Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance in the paint, Bryant’s clutch shots and outside scoring were invaluable to the team. Bryant, of course, was a member of the 2009 and 2010 championship teams that saw Kobe Bryant rise to become a two-time Finals MVP and the undisputed most talented player of his era.
The legendary Magic Johnson was the floor general of the Lakers, winning 5 NBA championships as an oversized guard with flawless guard skills, including dribbling and passing. He was unstoppable at halftime, and in each of his five NBA championship rings, he was one of the best players in the league. We haven’t seen a more “magical” point guard than the great Earvin Magic Johnson because his floor leadership and playmaking skills are second to none. There’s no question that Magic is the leader of the Lakers, even though he’s won three of five Finals MVPs. But in the end, the Lakers legends didn’t part ways when it came to championship numbers.
Advantage: uniform
Finals MVP Award
Kobe Bryant: 2 (2009, 2010)
Magic Johnson: 3 (1980, 1982, 1987)
After Shaquille O’Neal left town, Kobe Bryant won 2 Finals MVPs. Shaq won all three Finals MVPs during his three-peat, and while the Lakers haven’t won multiple championships, the big man deserves his trophy if Kobe isn’t the team’s best perimeter player . Regardless, winning two Finals MVPs is impressive enough to make him the talk of a top 10 player of all time. Whenever Kobe Bryant played well, his team won the Finals, which has been a constant throughout his career. With a 2-time Finals MVP, Bryant could have retired after the 2010 season and his legacy would be guaranteed forever.
In terms of being the best player on the team, Magic Johnson was the undisputed best player on the floor in three of his five championships. Even with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s stellar performance in the 1985 Finals and Worthy’s stellar performance in the 1988 Finals, Magic Johnson was the Finals MVP every time the Lakers won the NBA Championship. In 1980, Johnson was the standout player for the Lakers, averaging 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.7 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 57.3 percent and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. The point guard won Finals MVP in his next title run against the Lakers, posting 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists in six games against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 1987 Finals, Johnson contributed 26.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 13.0 assists for the Lakers. In the end, the Magic had the upper hand in the Finals MVP award.
With the exception of James Worthy’s pivotal performance in the 1988 Finals and Kareem’s Finals MVP in 1985, the Lakers have never won a title longer than Magic Johnson. In any case, the magician has a great advantage Kobe won the finals MVP trophy.
Advantage: Magic Johnson
MVP award
Kobe Bryant: 1 (2008)
Magic Johnson: 3 (1987, 1989, 1990)
As shocking as it may be to say, and possibly absurd, Kobe Bryant somehow just won the MVP award as a member of the Lakers. The first and only award came in 2008, when the superstar shooting guard averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. In the end, Bryant won the MVP after leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record, which led all teams in the Western Conference. Even though Bryant lost the Finals that year and went on to win the next two years, Bryant’s MVP award win means a lot to his legacy. Anyway, Bryant only has one MVP award, and he’ll lose that comparison category.
Magic Johnson won 3 MVP awards with the Lakers, each impressive season. His first MVP season came in 1987, when he averaged 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 12.2 assists while also contributing 1.7 steals. The point guard played in 80 games while leading the Lakers to a 65-17 record that leads the NBA. During the 1989 season, Johnson led the Lakers to the second-best record in the NBA, averaging 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 12.8 assists. Once again, Magic is the best point guard in the NBA, and it’s not even close. The following year, in 1989-90, Magic averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists while leading Los Angeles to 63 victories, the most in the NBA.
In the end, there was a stark difference between the two superstars in terms of MVP award wins. Both players have won at least one MVP, but Johnson won three of them. This means that the advantage belongs to Magic Johnson.
Advantage: Magic Johnson
All-NBA Team
Kobe Bryant: 15 (11 first team, 2 second team, 2 third team)
Magic Johnson: 10 (9 first-team, 1 second-team)
Kobe Bryant was selected to the All-NBA Team 15 times, including 11 First Team selections. Those are amazing accomplishments from a shooting guard who has been bruised for most of his career. Even as Bryant got older and had to play more methodically rather than relying on athleticism, he was still able to impact the game on the defensive end of the court or control the tempo of an offense from the low post. As it stands, Bryant has an edge over Magic Johnson, as the point guard will never be able to match Bryant for All-NBA selection due to his sudden retirement.
Magic Johnson played 10 times on behalf of the Lakers, including nine first-team appearances. Of course, these are incredible accomplishments, and we haven’t seen a player with this level of consistency at point guard for the Lakers. Magic is easily an All-NBA addition because of his ability to make his teammates better and his resume, which includes taking over games in the games that matter the most. The result was an impressive nine first-team appearances, plus one second-team appearance. Kobe Bryant has a huge advantage in making the All-NBA team because of his seven-year extension with the Lakers and an advantage in terms of longevity, mostly because of Magic’s retirement with HIV.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
all star selection
Kobe Bryant: 18
Magic Johnson: 12
As the greatest Lakers player in history, Kobe Bryant has a total of 18 All-Star selections. The legendary scorer is one of the smartest players ever to impact a game over a long period of time. A true All-Star offensive player, Bryant wowed crowds year after year with his scoring and perimeter presence. Even on the defensive end, Bryant maintained his strength. But perhaps the other main reason the shooting guard has made multiple All-Star appearances is that so many fans and media people love to vote for him.
As a member of the Lakers, Magic Johnson has a total of 12 All-Star selections. While that’s less than Bryant’s stats with the Lakers, it’s worth noting that it’s because the point guard was forced to retire four seasons in his prime after contracting AIDS. Still, being an All-Star every season while playing for an iconic team like the Lakers is an incredible accomplishment. If Magic is available, he’s likely to have 16 All-Star appearances with the Lakers, which is close to what the superstar shooting guard can do. But in the end, Bryant had a significant advantage in the All-Star lineup.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
Best Defensive NBA Team
Kobe Bryant: 12 (9 first team, 3 second team)
Magic Johnson: 0
One of the best defenders at the shooting guard position in NBA history, Kobe Bryant was named to the All-Defensive Team 12 times, including 9 times. Bryant has been an excellent team offense alongside defenders on the ball for nearly two decades. He’s athletic enough to be a force as he can move his feet and burst into shots at a young age. As he got older, Bryant became a master of team defense as he would lead players into difficult positions. Watching Kobe defend depends on his basketball IQ, which is the highest in history.
At 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Magic Johnson has the size alone to be a force at his position. But a lot of the time, Magic won’t be the designated defender because he’s surrounded by other talented defenders. The point guard is still averaging 1.9 SPG in his career and has led the NBA in steals twice, which is pretty impressive. But he didn’t make the All-Defensive Team, which means he doesn’t have the edge that Kobe Bryant did.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
total win share
Kobe Bryant: 172.7
Magic Johnson: 155.8
Win Shares is a statistic that attempts to assign a team’s wins to each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Milwaukee Bucks to 63 wins in 1971-72 and set a single-season win shares record with 25.4. Kobe Bryant has an advantage over Magic Johnson in win shares when it comes to contributing to winning teams and helping his teams win consistently.
Kobe Bryant ranks 16th all-time in win shares behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and John Stockton and other top stars. The superstar shooting guard impacted the game in a variety of ways, including scoring at a superstar level and in clutch moments. Kobe won a lot of games in his career because he had Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate in his early years and Phil Jackson was on the sideline for most of his career.
In his 13 seasons with the Lakers, Magic didn’t have as many win shares as Bryant. The superstar point guard still impacts the game in a number of ways, including a high shooting percentage and excellent passing ability, which does affect his scoring slightly. That’s not to say Johnson isn’t a winner, because…
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