Stephen Curry is known for being a humble guy. However, all the humility went out of the window when Curry claimed on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast that he was the greatest Point Guard ever along with Magic Johnson. The Golden State Warriors’ leader left the basketball world enraged. While a small group of fans did back Steph’s claims, a huge majority displayed their dissatisfaction towards the take. Two of LeBron James’ former teammates – Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, talking on Road Trippin’ Show, used Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as a reference to explain the difference between Magic and Steph’s greatness.
Advertisement
It isn’t very uncommon for players to talk highly about themselves. But when the three-point leader did so, his comments were not received well. Apart from receiving backlash from fans from all around the globe, numerous personalities from the basketball world also sided with Magic in the debate. Michael Jordan, who usually refrains from entering such arguments, also believed that his voice needed to be heard. Texting Stephen A. Smith during the early hours of the morning, Jordan backed his best friend while also lauding Curry.
Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye disagree with Stephen Curry
Currently, the hottest topic for conversation among basketball enthusiasts is definitely the GOAT Poin-Guard. Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye also hopped on the trend to dish their opinions and revealed why they didn’t agree with Stephen Curry’s comments.
Frye kickstarted the conversation by mentioning the accolades Magic Johnson won during his illustrious 13-year career. RJ further deep-dove into the comparisons. According to Jefferson, the gap between Curry and Johnson’s greatness was larger than the gap between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“The gap between him and Magic is further than the gap between Kobe and Jordan. The gap between like from the Point Guard spot, between Steph and Magic is greater than that.”
The former Forward believed it was necessary to compare the entirety of the two careers and not just look at their peaks. According to the 43-year-old, Curry emerged as one of the best players in the league during his fourth season. Whereas, Earvin was the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ Championship squad, as a rookie, that also possessed the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Norm Nixon.
“But the fact that Magic Johnson was a bad enough man to show up and be the best player on a Championship team as a rookie and put up 40 points? Bro, people can’t do that in their prime. He was just getting started,” Jefferson said.
Richard Jefferson weighs in on the Steph vs. Magic 🐐 point guard debate: “The fact that Magic Johnson was a bad enough man to show up and be the best player on a championship team as a rookie and put up 40 points… Bro people can’t do that in their prime…” 👀 pic.twitter.com/XV2BVsabVs
— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) August 31, 2023
In terms of accomplishment, Johnson has a more decorated trophy cabinet than Steph. While the Lakers legend has won 3 MVPs, 5 NBA titles, and 3 Finals MVPs, the sharpshooter has gathered 2 MVPs, 4 NBA titles, and 1 Finals MVP.
However, in terms of their influence, both of their contributions have been essential to the sport and the league. Magic is majorly responsible for popularizing the NBA back in the 1980s. Moreover, Steph has managed to revolutionize the sport with the usage of the three-point line.
Paul George makes his pick for the Steph-Magic debate
Paul George is one of the modern-day NBA superstars who has faced the wrath of Stephen Curry in numerous instances. Despite being outscored (26.1-20.4) in the 21 games that he’s faced Chef Curry, PG still picks Magic Johnson as his pick for the GOAT Point Guard debate.
Chiming a similar philosophy as Michael Jordan, the Los Angeles Clippers star disclosed his opinions on such endless GOAT debates. However, the Forward did reveal that he was in agreeance with MJ picking Earvin over Steph.
