Earvin “Magic” Johnson
- Third greatest of all-time
- Second greatest to ever play for the Los Angeles Lakers
Although he follows LeBron on this all-time list, being a lifelong Laker, winning five titles and appearing in nine finals in the purple and gold, makes Johnson the true “greatest Laker of all time.” Among all of his individual accolades, Magic will be remembered most for revolutionizing the most important position in basketball and subsequently the game as a whole.
He was the first to show that height and frame shouldn’t necessarily pigeonhole you into a single position group based on skillset. An especially profound statement in 2020 where the NBA has gone almost completely positionless.
Although most view LeBron’s 2016 title in Cleveland as the single greatest accomplishment in NBA history, most of those people don’t understand how much Johnson has an argument against that. After his running mate and fellow Laker great Kareem Abdul Jabbar went out with an ankle injury in the 1980 finals, keeping him out of a closeout game 6 vs Philadelphia.
As a rookie, Johnson stepped in at center for Kareem, dropped 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, and was awarded finals MVP for leading the Lakers to an NBA title fresh off of winning a National Championship at Michigan State against fellow top 10 player and career rival Larry Bird.
An incredible microcosm of his leadership and clutch performing that would carry on throughout an illustrious career. Although his career was cut short after his HIV diagnosis, a top-three ranking is more than fitting for the accomplishments and impact of ‘EJ’.