Tag: Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson weighs in on MJ vs. LeBron debate, says ‘Michael was the freakiest player in the game,

What metric best measures greatness in the NBA? In the debate over whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, Magic Johnson is counting NBA Championships.

What metric best measures greatness in the NBA? In the debate over whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, Magic Johnson is counting NBA Championships.

LeBron James is now the 5th player in NBA history with at least 90 triple-doubles

LeBron James is now the 5th player in NBA history with at least 90 triple-doubles for his career.

Wilt Chamberlain didn’t have as many as 90 triple-doubles during his stat-stuffing Hall of Fame career. The great Larry Bird didn’t either. But in the wake of his performance against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, LeBron James is now the fifth player in NBA history with 90 or more triple-doubles for their career according to Basketball Reference.

After totaling 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists during the 106-99 win over the Pistons, James now sits 17 triple-doubles behind Lakers assistant coach, Jason Kidd, for fourth in league history. Oscar Robertson’s 181 triple-doubles are the most ever, while Russell Westbrook’s 144 and counting rank second. Magic Johnson rounds out the top-five at third overall with 138 triple-doubles during his time with the Lakers.

After being named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, James and the Lakers now set their sights on the New York Knicks. The Knicks are 10-26 on the season and have replaced LeBron’s former assistant with the Miami Heat, David Fizdale, with interim head coach Mike Miller.

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Ben Simmons is third-fastest in NBA history to reach 25 triple-doubles

Ben Simmons joined the likes of Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson in NBA history Friday night.

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has established himself as one of the NBA’s best playmakers, and on Friday night, he achieved a milestone that put him with two of the best playmakers in league history.

According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Simmons became the third-fastest player in league history to record 25 career triple-doubles in the Sixers’ loss to the Houston Rockets. Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson are first and second, respectively, on the list for fastest in reaching 25 career triple-doubles.

Simmons earned his third triple-double of the season, scoring a team-high 29 points. He also recorded a team-high 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

At 6-foot-10, Simmons has the court vision of a point guard. With his size, he can drive into the lane for buckets and also defend multiple positions. Simmons ranks fourth in the league for assists per game and first in steals.

While he’s a premier playmaker, a concern with Simmons is that he’s sometimes not aggressive enough when it comes to scoring.

He doesn’t need to shoot a bunch of jumpers, but with his size, he should look to work inside and around the post for buckets as much as possible. He’s averaging 14.9 points a game, which is down from the 16.9 points he averaged last season.

With the Sixers on a four-game losing streak, they’ll look to get a win in Philly against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

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Magic Johnson says LeBron James is an ‘MVP player and MVP father’

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson commended LeBron James for his play and his fatherhood.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers are making their haters eat a lot of crow these days. Although sportsbooks pegged the Los Angeles Lakers as co-favorites coming into the year with their crosstown rivals the L.A. Clippers, there were certainly more doubts about the Lakers coming into the season even though their star duo was relatively healthy.

All of those doubts have been erased as the Lakers have an NBA-best 24-3 record and look to improve to 25-3 tonight when they face off against the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers are also looking to keep intact multiple win-streaks tonight, their current seven-game win-streak as well as their current 15-game road one as well.

But even a few days later, the story of the weekend was LeBron James having a dominant weekend on the court while also supporting his son Bronny Jr in his biggest game yet. That role, as well as his strong play for the Lakers, got the attention of Lakers legend and former Lakers president Magic Johnson.

Although LeBron was taken aback by Johnson’s sudden public resignation at the end of last season, at least on Magic’s part, there are no hard feelings left. Only admiration.

5 reasons the Los Angeles Lakers are off to their best start since 1985

Explore the five reasons the Los Angeles Lakers are off to their best start since 1985.

In the wake of their 96-87 victory over the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers have secured their best start to a season since 1985. At 22-3, LeBron James and company are now tied through 25 games with the Lakers team led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That group won 62 games during the regular-season before losing in the NBA championship.

What’s interesting about the comparison between this year’s Lakers and the group from 34 years ago is that both were led by superstar tandems at different points in their Hall-of-Fame careers. Similar to LeBron, Kareem was in his 16th season as a professional that year. Meanwhile, like Anthony Davis, Magic was still only 26 years old. But despite their differences, both tandems clicked on the court and both have now helped their teams win big early on.

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LeBron James is displaying his versatile skill set in the purest way this season

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is leading the NBA in assists and is averaging a career-low in minutes per game this season.

Throughout his career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has possessed an extraordinary all-around game, with his playmaking skills making him one of the most talented players in NBA history. But his current performance this season may be the purest expression of his skillset that we’ve ever seen as he continues to challenge the limits of greatness in season No. 17.

Often, the versatility of LeBron’s skills has had to be placed in the background for more practical reasons. He’s had to take on a big chunk of the scoring load several times throughout his career, with his rookie season being the only time he didn’t average 25 or more points a game.

This season is different, though. For once, he’s not leading his team in scoring, though he is second behind Anthony Davis. James is averaging a career-high 10.8 assists per game and is the league’s leader in assists. If he keeps this pace, he will lead the NBA in assists for the first time in his storied career.

A player that’s wowed audiences for almost two decades, James is using his skill set in perhaps the purest way he ever has in his NBA career this season with the Lakers. He’s been playing point guard, although one could argue James has been a “point guard” his whole career. Never one to tout himself as a “scorer,” even as one of the most prolific in NBA history, James has been allowed to play basketball in a style that suits his preferences this year.

A player that’s been compared to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, James’ stands alone, with his unique style of play never being more apparent than this season. A big part of that is because he has the perfect pick-and-roll partner in Davis. The duo has run the action beautifully this season, with Davis scoring 4.1 points a game as a roll man, per NBA.com. 

Davis has already solidified himself as one of the most talented teammates James has played with. He’s up there with Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving. Davis’ game complements James’ skill set well, with his ability to score in multiple ways, inside and outside. Davis has won Player of the Week twice this season for the Lakers and is coming off back-to-back games of 39 and 50 points.

Davis has allowed LeBron’s playmaking to flourish. Per NBA.com, the assist points created tallies the number of points a player or team makes through assists. Assist points created began being recorded in 2013-14, and since then James has ranked in the top 10 of the category six times, including this season. This season, James leads the league in assist points created (27.1). He’s also doing this while averaging a career-low 34.4 minutes per game.

Whether it’s seeing an open driving lane or finding an open teammate on the fastbreak, James can usually make any play he wants.  In the video below, James floated a pass to Davis, who was running up the floor. Possessing great court vision is an important part of being a good passer, and James has some of the best court vision ever. Likely the best ever.

Davis’ quality play has helped James immensely. In addition, though, James is arguably playing with one of the best-supporting casts he’s ever had in his career in terms of spacing. With shooters such as Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, this roster is simply built for James to succeed at the highest level. Green and Caldwell-Pope are both shooting at least 38% from the 3-point line. In Cleveland and in Miami, shooting around LeBron meant great things and this season has been no different.

He also has some help handling the ball. Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo have come off the bench to share ball-handling and facilitating duties, giving James a break so he doesn’t have to get his minutes too high. Rondo is second in assists on the team behind James, and Caruso ranks fourth.

Dwight Howard has also been a key player for the Lakers’ top-tier defense, and he’s rebounded the ball well, too. He has a 102.1 defensive rating, and he ranks second on the team in rebounds (7.0). Davis has been great defensively as well, leading the team in blocks (2.7). Having Davis and Howard as safety blankets has also allowed LeBron to take more risks, helping the Lakers be one of the best teams in the league in forcing turnovers.

James can also still score at a high level too, but he hasn’t been asked to do it as much this season. He’s posted eight games of 30-plus points this season, with a season-high 39 coming during overtime in a win against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 1. 

And defensively, he’s had a resurgence as well. He’s been playing passing lanes, positioning himself for steals. James is averaging 1.3 steals, tied for second on the Lakers with Green. He’s been able to play the free safety position on defense while being the quarterback of the offense.

With all these contributions from teammates, James doesn’t have to be concerned about handling the ball, scoring, making plays and playing defense.

And because of that, fans have gotten to see James in perhaps his purest form.

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38 sports personalities who are also 2019 TV and entertainment stars

Plenty of athletes have found their way into entertainment, creating a while new genre and business and brands opportunities.

Athletes have become as much a part of the entertainment scene as actors. In 2019, the crossover has been massive and the people who have done it have become bigger stars after their careers. Some have managed to do it while still playing.

Michael Strahan

Jason Miller/Getty Images

If it seems like Michael Strahan is everywhere, that’s because the former New York Giants defensive lineman is. He is on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has an hour show later in the day, is on FOX NFL programming and also produces documentaries.

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The oldest players to receive MVP votes in NBA history

All ages at the end of the regular season.

All ages at the end of the regular season.

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Magic Johnson on LeBron: ‘If he continues at this pace he will definitely be the league MVP’

Magic Johnson on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James: ‘If he continues at this pace he will definitely be the league MVP’

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According to the latest odds released this week from BetOnline, LeBron James is currently slotted third in the race to become the NBA’s MVP in 2020. But that’s not how former Los Angeles Lakers front office executive and Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson sees the NBA’s most prestigious regular-season honor playing out. According to Magic, LeBron will “definitely be the league MVP” if he keeps up his current pace.

Despite monster performances so far from 2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2018 MVP James Harden–who currently own the two best odds of winning the MVP this season–Magic believes the work LeBron is putting in could propel him past each of those primary contenders. When you look at LeBron’s numbers combined with the success of his team so far–who has earned the best record in the league early on at 12-2–it’s fair to suggest that Magic has a valid point on this one.

LeBron is leading the NBA in assists with 11.1 per contest while scoring 25 points and grabbing 7.9 rebounds per game. He also ranks sixth in the NBA in PER with a rating of 28.49 so far. Harden, meanwhile, is pouring in a remarkable 39.4 points per game during the first month of the NBA season to lead the league. He is actually scoring 7.9 points more than Giannis on a nightly basis who ranks second in that category. While averaging 30 points per night, the Bucks big man is also collecting 14 rebounds and dishing out six assists.

During LeBron’s first MVP season in 2009 he averaged 28.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists by comparison. In 2013, his most recent MVP campaign, James finished the year with 26.8 points, eight rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting a career-best 56.5% from the floor. He never averaged double-digit assists in any season of his career, however, and the 7.9 rebounds are above his career average as well so maybe Magic is on to something with his MVP prediction.

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