The debate about who is the better point guard out of Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson has been raging in the last few weeks. With the title of the greatest point guard of all time at play, the debate has especially been regular since Curry claimed to be the best PG of all time. While not many names have been mentioned alongside the two, Milwaukee Bucks legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a surprising take when asked the question by journalist Justin Walters, in the form of his former teammate Oscar Roberston.
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Kareem is in a great position to judge, considering he played alongside both Roberston and Magic Johnson. While he claimed that the multiple stars such as Magic, Curry, and LeBron James were better than Roberston, he was still instrumental in impacting how the game was played.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar names Oscar Robertson as his best-ever point guard
The first player ever and the only one apart from Russell Westbrook to ever average a triple-double the entire season, Robertson did so before the 3-point line came into existence. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was initially asked who he thought was the best PG, out of Magic and Stephen Curry.
The legendary Center won his first NBA title alongside Roberston with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971. He then won a further 5 titles alongside Magic at the Lakers, and yet picked Roberston:
“I don’t think it is any one of them. Oscar Robertson. The Big O. I only had a chance to play with hima t the end of his career. But he was awesome, and people had seen him play at the prime of his career, with the 3-point shot. Oscar had a 3-point range, but he never got to play when the 3-point shot was incorporated into the game, and people don’t really understand how significant he was in how to play the game. Well, I played with him for 4 years and I know Steph Curry and LeBron, Kobe, you know Magic, all those guys are superior, but I will have to go with Oscar.”
Who’s the GOAT when it comes to point guards?! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t think it’s Magic or Curry. He told me it’s Oscar Robertson. #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/3QL4N8lhMJ
— Justin Walters (@JustinWaltersTV) September 14, 2023
This was despite the fact that Kareem confessed that multiple stars were “superior” overall. However, considering that retired in 1974, almost 6 years before the 3-point line was added, Kareem thought he was too influential to not be picked.
Kareem once claimed Roberston was better than Michael Jordan and LeBron James
Back in 2013, Kareem had a rather controversial take on Oscar Robertson. Claiming that he had enough to kick both MJ and LeBron James’ “behinds,” Kareem effectively claimed that Roberston was his GOAT, according to Bleacher Report.
He talked about how Oscar had all the skills that the likes of MJ and LeBron did. Moreover, he was ruggedly built, was a top defender, and could win rebounds against players who were much taller.
Kareem also claimed that Roberston had a lot of intelligence and understood the game very quickly and well. Despite confessing that he didn’t quite have the flair of the other superstars, Kareem thought that he would still get the job done against them.
