Quinn Cook spent just five seasons in the NBA, but his career was one of the more eventful ones for a fringe talent. Playing two seasons each for the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, Cook witnessed the greatness of both Stephen Curry and LeBron James firsthand. He also won a championship alongside each, cementing his name in NBA history despite his short career.
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Like many other players and fans, Cook gravitated more toward the stars he was able to watch himself when questioned about the greatest players in league history. He recalled being excited as a child to wake up in the morning knowing LeBron or Kobe would be playing that night. He doesn’t have that same feeling about Magic Johnson, who had retired by the time Cook was born.
Echoing the opinion held by many, Cook believes Stephen Curry changed the game. Magic, alongside Larry Bird, is credited with saving the NBA after a dysfunctional decade and is responsible for changing basketball in his own right — but Cook wasn’t there to witness it.
“I’m a person like I only go off of what I saw. Not YouTube, not NBA Hardwood Classics. You know what I’m saying? No disrespect to Magic [Johnson], I just didn’t see Magic … I didn’t live through it,” Cook told Victor Oladipo. “Magic, I missed that part. So Steph’s the best point guard I ever saw.”
Quinn also lauded other playmakers he was able to watch, including Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. But Magic doesn’t cross his mind as much as the four-time champion guard he played with. Even after Steph captured his fourth championship, though, Magic wasn’t ready to hand over the GOAT PG title.
“If [Steph] got more than five championships, if he got more than three Finals MVPs and three league MVPs, then he’s the greatest,” the Lakers legend said regarding the GOAT point guard debate in 2023 before proceeding to list several more of his distinguished accolades. “If he got more than those numbers, then he’s the best … But the last time I checked, he doesn’t.”
Magic completely retired from basketball nearly three decades ago, causing many who didn’t watch him to dismiss his long-standing status as the NBA’s greatest point guard. The Hall of Famer is also discredited due to the talented sidekicks he had throughout his prime, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Byron Scott.
Steph won two championships alongside another future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Kevin Durant, but he’s also proven capable of leading the Dubs to glory on his own. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were certainly vital to Golden State’s dynasty, but without Curry’s superhuman efforts, the Warriors wouldn’t have come close to a title in either 2015 or 2022.
With completely contrasting play styles, it’s hard to make a definitive comparison between Magic and Steph. Johnson’s status as basketball’s best point guard was once viewed as untouchable, but Steph has continued to accomplish the improbable for over a decade. Still dominating at 37 years old, it’s hard to argue the two-time MVP hasn’t earned the crown at this point.
