Magic Johnson is also not impressed with LeBron James

[ducks]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Magic-Johnson-is-also-not-impressed-with-LeBron-?urn=nba-257330

[TheKingOfMIA6]

He's just jealous

[MiamiHeat]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy.

Stfu.

Seems to me they are all jealous that LeBron's Heat are going to be one of the greatest teams ever :) Blindly hating a man who willingly chooses to

1) share the spotlight
2) take less money
3) sacrifice personal glory and stats for championships

fucking retards

[JamStone]

I'm not one to defend LeBron James too much, but I will to some extent here.

The difference with LeBron is that while he's joining another premier player, it's not like he's joining Kobe and the Lakers who just won a title or the Celtics who just won a couple years ago. He's joining a great player in Wade but a team that has been mediocre at best the last couple seasons and even missed the playoffs a couple years ago.

Also, he was never a rival of Dwyane Wade really, not as much as he was a rival of Carmelo. LeBron and Wade have pretty much always been close friends since they were drafted. Magic and Michael and Larry might be friendly now, but they were never friendly off the court (at least that I know of) to the extent that LeBron and Wade have been. You add the fact that Magic and Michael and Larry became closer friends with their Olympic experience as well, but that happened at the tail end of the careers of Magic and Bird. For LeBron and Wade, that happened after the fifth year of their NBA careers.

I agree for the most part with Magic and Michael criticizing LeBron, but I also think that the two of them using themselves as an example doesn't quite apply because of different circumstances.

[BlackSwordsMan]

you think lebron gives a fuck what magic johnson has to say

[BUMP]

lol seriously?

He didn't "think about it" because he was on the most fucking stacked team ever.

What's next Kobe Bryant saying he didn't "think about" joining Allen Iverson in 2001? Give me a break

[The Gemini Method]

Eh, Magic, Michael, and Larry were icons...but this shit is getting a little too much.

[Cane]

Hard to take what Magic and friends say seriously especially since they also are still working for teams in the NBA:




TrueHoop reader Mike, however, takes special exception to the idea that Johnson would stick with a mediocre roster over playing with superstars. He e-mails:

As much as I admire and respect these players, it becomes hard to take them seriously when none of them had situations comparable to LeBron, and all of the them got to play with other great, Top-50 All-Time players. The quest to play with other elite talent is basically universal amongst stars, be it Wilt going to join Hal Greer and later Jerry West and Elgin Baylor or all the way up to Kobe openly flirting with the Bulls and Clippers and threatening trade demands until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol.

The fact that LeBron simply exercised his rights as a free agent to leave Cleveland to do what countless other players have done, rather than demand trades or refuse to play for the team that drafted him, should not be held against him.

I'm not even a fan of LeBron, but at this point I think he's getting dumped on pretty unfairly.

And in the case of Magic Johnson, Mike has done his homework. He found a Mike Downey L.A. Times article from 1991:
Magic Johnson would have returned to Michigan State rather than play for the Chicago Bulls.

"I'd have stayed in school," he said here Tuesday, standing alone outside Gate 3 1/2 of Chicago Stadium, the house that could have been his. "A coin toss changed the course of my whole life." Chicago called heads in a 1979 coin flip with Los Angeles for the No. 1 pick in the NBA college draft. It came up tails.

Johnson signed with the Lakers after his sophomore year of college and proceeded to win five championships. The Bulls picked second, took UCLA's David Greenwood and have won no championships.

"I wouldn't have played here," Johnson said on the eve of Game 2 of the NBA finals between his team and the team that could have been his. "The only reason I came out was to play with Kareem and the Lakers."

Then Mike gets to comparing the Lakers who played with Johnson in his first seven years to the Cavaliers who played with James over the same period. Johnson's teammates, in aggregate, had:

Two first team All-Rookie selections (Byron Scott, James Worthy)
11 All-Star appearances (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar seven times, Norm Nixon twice, Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes)
Four All-NBA first team selections (Abdul-Jabbar)
Two All-NBA second team selections (Abdul-Jabbar)
Five All-Defensive first team selections (Michael Cooper three times, Abdul-Jabbar twice)
Four All-Defensive second team selections (Cooper three times, Abdul-Jabbar once)
One MVP Award (Abdul-Jabbar)
In addition, Abdul-Jabbar, Worthy, Wilkes, Nixon, and Cooper all got votes for MVP at one point in time or the other during Magic's first seven years, and Cooper won defensive player of the year in Johnson's eighth year.


Mike does a similar analysis on James' Cavs' rosters:

Zero first team All-Rookie Selections
Two All-Star game appearances (Mo Williams, Zydrunas llgauskas)
Zero All-NBA first team selection
Zero All-NBA second team selections
Zero All-Defensive first team selections
One All-Defensive second team selection (Anderson Vareajo)
Zero MVP Awards


Mike adds, in conclusion:

In order to have a situation even comparable to Magic's, LeBron would have needed to be drafted onto, say, Tim Duncan's team (to parallel Abdul-Jabbar), played the last six years with a prime Bruce Bowen (to parallel Michael Cooper), and had the Cavs draft Danny Granger in his third year (as a parallel to Worthy), and that's ignoring guys like Scott/Wilkes/McAdoo etc.

I mean, let's be real, if LeBron had been in a situation like that does anyone doubt that he would have stayed? That he would already have multiple titles and that we'd be talking about his place amongst the top 10-15 players of all-time instead of dumping on his competitive fire? Magic had it easy, which make his comments seem absolutely ridiculous.

I'll acknowledge there's a chicken and egg thing here. I can hear the argument now: If James had been a better leader, then the Cavaliers would have won more titles which would have earned his teammates more accolades. Even leaving aside entirely the reality that James has been about as productive as any player in NBA history, let's concede that point, and merely say: It's still not even close.

In fact, there's a debate to be had about whether James' current SuperFriends team in Miami is as good as the one Johnson played for. Is Dwyane Wade more valuable than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? It's an insane question without a real answer, but I think we can agree there are strong cases to be made on both sides of the equation, and though Wade has a much better PER (around 30 last season) Abdul-Jabbar's was still insanely high in the mid-20s through Johnson's first seven seasons, and Abdul-Jabbar almost never missed a game.

What it really comes down to is that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson can say they wouldn't have stooped to seeking out teammates as good as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But bear in mind they also never had to confront the reality of seven years with the kinds of rosters James played on in Cleveland.


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18462/magic-johnson-sought-elite-teammates-too

[baseline bum]

I loved hearing Bird say the same shit too. Why in the hell would he leave when he had fucking McHale, Parish, and Walton, not to mention a great backcourt with Dennis Johnson and Ainge?

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

I don't get the douchebags lately that are acting as if Magic and these other guys that are still active parts of current NBA franchises are unbiased and aren't influenced at all by their current roles in the league. Magic can stfu, he was a part of the Showtime Lakers for fucks sake, of course he didn't want to join another team.

[Double-Up]

I'm impressed this guy's still alive...HIV my ass.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Looks like we were all posting the same shit at the same time

[Giuseppe]

I'm impressed this guy's still alive...HIV my ass.

Double, actin' the ass again.

[stretch]

yeah, this is stupid of Magic to say. He only had the 2nd best player in NBA history at his side. :rolleyes

[hitmanyr2k]

Goddamn!! This is still an issue?!? I'm getting a little tired of the "hypocrisy" coming from the legends.

[TheKingOfMIA6]

Why the hell would Magic leave the Lakers with all the talent surrounding him. This is getting ridiculous

[MiamiHeat]

Wow, Cane owned this shitty thread.


And in the case of Magic Johnson, Mike has done his homework. He found a Mike Downey L.A. Times article from 1991:
Magic Johnson would have returned to Michigan State rather than play for the Chicago Bulls.

"I'd have stayed in school," he said here Tuesday, standing alone outside Gate 3 1/2 of Chicago Stadium, the house that could have been his. "A coin toss changed the course of my whole life." Chicago called heads in a 1979 coin flip with Los Angeles for the No. 1 pick in the NBA college draft. It came up tails.

Johnson signed with the Lakers after his sophomore year of college and proceeded to win five championships. The Bulls picked second, took UCLA's David Greenwood and have won no championships.

"I wouldn't have played here," Johnson said on the eve of Game 2 of the NBA finals between his team and the team that could have been his. "The only reason I came out was to play with Kareem and the Lakers."

fucking sad hypocritical players.

i'm going to LOVE when someone points out that exact quote to Magic's face.

he's gonna stutter and shit.

[Jloyola]

Also, he was never a rival of Dwyane Wade really, not as much as he was a rival of Carmelo. LeBron and Wade have pretty much always been close friends since they were drafted. Magic and Michael and Larry might be friendly now, but they were never friendly off the court (at least that I know of) to the extent that LeBron and Wade have been. You add the fact that Magic and Michael and Larry became closer friends with their Olympic experience as well, but that happened at the tail end of the careers of Magic and Bird. For LeBron and Wade, that happened after the fifth year of their NBA careers.

According to the documentary with Magic and Bird "A Courtship of Rivals" they became friends during a converse commercial... the one where Bird is shooting hoops in his farm and Magic comes speeding in with a Limo

[TheKingOfMIA6]

LOL nice find MH.

I think this is just the point of LeBrons life that he has to go through when he's being hated on by his hometown, other nba players, some rappers, legends, Delonte etc. Except for his best friends and now his friends are going to help him to get out of this situation by winning a championship and not one but multiple and when it will be all said and done LeBron will be better than the legends because he sacraficed money for a championship.

[BUMP]

This just in, Charles Barkley comments on LeBron leaving. He says there's no way he would've left the Dream Team to play with Toni Kukoc for Croatia

[TheKingOfMIA6]

BS lakaluva

Even if LeBron wins only one championship he will still be considered a legend. And your looking at it the wrong way LeBron would've never left his team if his GM would've surrounded his team with the talent similar to what Kobe has and Magic, Jordan, and Bird had. He left because he has good talent during regular season and when the playoffs arrive they all disappear and he gets all the blame for having a bad a game. While when Kobe shoots 6-24 and his team still wins.

[Venti Quattro]

Hating on Lebron is the best trend of this summer. Better than any summer fashion collection that those shit designers will come up with.

[Giuseppe]

Even if LeBron wins only one championship he will still be considered a legend.

King, gettin' his settle on.

tee, hee.

[Mike-in-brazil]

wrong ......lebron is leaving to join other superstars....bird...MJ and magic had talent around them that wasn't considered superstars until they won they stuck together then became stars ....these players are already stars he's joining this isn't worthy of comparison...anyway!!!!

shit is getting old as I stated b4 it's everyone who called lebron king or assumed he was the next best thing are the ones more discouraged cause he failed yall hopes and expectations.
it's not jealously.
Everyone who thought he was the next coming without winning shit that's what it is

Next will be jerry west coming out talkin mad shit!!! not our fault u lacked intelligence and good judgment saying kobe past lebron was senseless!!!

[Mike-in-brazil]

lebron past kobe i meant dayum typing on an iphone ....shit!!!

[TheKingOfMIA6]

That team might be a contender and win 66 games during regular season but when the playoffs arrive the talent just goes somewhere. Check the stats

Mo during regular season stats
PPG 15.8
APG 5.3
RPG 3.0
SPG 1.0
FT 89%
FG 44%
3P 42%

Mo in playoffs

PPG 14.4
APG 5.4
RPG 3.1
SPG 0.6
FT 80%
FG 40%
3P 32%

Anderson Varejao Season

PPG 8.6
RPG 7.6
APG 1.1
FG 57%

Playoffs

PPG 5.7
RPG 6.5
APG 0.6
FG 41%

You can look up the rest of the players from the team & see that most of their stats decrease in playoffs

[rmt]

wrong ......lebron is leaving to join other superstars....bird...MJ and magic had talent around them that wasn't considered superstars until they won they stuck together then became stars ....these players are already stars he's joining this isn't worthy of comparison...anyway!!!!


I would not call Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "talent around them that wasn't considered superstars until they won they stuck together then became stars."

1 NBA Champion
5 NBA MVP
9 All-Star
1 NBA Finals MVP
6 All-NBA First team
3 All-NBA Second team
3 All-Defensive 1st team
5 All-Defensive 2nd team
NBA Rookie of the Year

Here's KAJ's resume before Magic joined the LAL. This is not even mentioning KAJ's stellar college career. Magic has no business talking about teammates when he was blessed to go to a team with KAJ. We won't even talk about Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Wilkes, etc.

MJ, on the other hand, had to wait for Pippen to mature. The Bulls weren't stacked with ready-made HOFs - one of the reasons why MJ is the GOAT.

[rmt]

How the hell did you leave out James Worthy?

Sorry, the brain starts to go when one's approaching the half century mark. It's not for lack of familiarity with the team as I watched every game broadcasted back then. But, yes, Worthy isn't worthy of "etc.":lol

[Mike-in-brazil]

I would not call Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "talent around them that wasn't considered superstars until they won they stuck together then became stars."

1 NBA Champion
5 NBA MVP
9 All-Star
1 NBA Finals MVP
6 All-NBA First team
3 All-NBA Second team
3 All-Defensive 1st team
5 All-Defensive 2nd team
NBA Rookie of the Year

Here's KAJ's resume before Magic joined the LAL. This is not even mentioning KAJ's stellar college career. Magic has no business talking about teammates when he was blessed to go to a team with KAJ. We won't even talk about Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Wilkes, etc.

MJ, on the other hand, had to wait for Pippen to mature. The Bulls weren't stacked with ready-made HOFs - one of the reasons why MJ is the GOAT.

Magic was a rookie, so how can he a star of the nba joining Kareem???

Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Wilkes, etc. all same status until they have proven to be stars or talented team players.....not of of these guys were at the top of their game and said" ok lets all become lakers to make dynasty....

look bird...MJ...and MJ lol didn't join others to get rings they build and all became stars with talent around them...why do u all not see this?...

lebron is doing what Malone and Payton did with the lakers....
KG did with boston

[bandwagon_fan]

I used to be a fan of the Lakers and Celtics back in the day. I couldn't disagree more with Magic Johnson though. The bigger the dynasty, the better.

[cobbler]

That team might be a contender and win 66 games during regular season but when the playoffs arrive the talent just goes somewhere. Check the stats

Mo during regular season stats
PPG 15.8
APG 5.3
RPG 3.0
SPG 1.0
FT 89%
FG 44%
3P 42%

Mo in playoffs

PPG 14.4
APG 5.4
RPG 3.1
SPG 0.6
FT 80%
FG 40%
3P 32%

Anderson Varejao Season

PPG 8.6
RPG 7.6
APG 1.1
FG 57%

Playoffs

PPG 5.7
RPG 6.5
APG 0.6
FG 41%

You can look up the rest of the players from the team & see that most of their stats decrease in playoffs

Maybe if as the season is wearing down they were gearing up and picking up their games as opposed to strutting, clowning, and following Lebrons leadership they would have stepped up in the playoffs. The Magic Lakers, Bird Celtics, Jordan Bulls, and Kobe Lakers feared their leaders. They knew it was as Magic put "winnin time" and knew they had to up thier game to coincide with their leader rather that listen to said leader tell them he's taking them to the promised land as they practice their pregame photo shoot routine and dance steps.

[rjv]

He's just jealous

of what exactly ? 0 rings ?

[Kevin Durant 35]

Anybody can talk shit about LeBron leaving to win with Wade and Bosh but not Magic

[YellowFever]

The Lakers were a 5th seed in the WC and got bounced by the Sonics 4 games to 1 the year before Magic joined the Lakers.

They won the ring in his rookie year with him winning the MVP and Worthy and Scott was drafted a couple of years afterwards.

Nonetheless, I wish the 'legends' would STFU about this. One of them said it, we all got a chuckle out of it but one after another speaking out is getting pretty boring.

[jermaine]

you think lebron gives a fuck what magic johnson has to say

If it was just let's say Barkley(no rings), then I'm sure he wouldn't care! But its the man who's ass he's been kissin since he came in the league(Jordan) & Mr. Primetime himself Magic beat Bird Johnson! Oyea they got rangs & thangs! An they telling peope all over the world he's a coward! Oooooooo he care, cuz he aint won shit yet! Being with the Heat don't guarantee him a rang.

[ducks]

That team might be a contender and win 66 games during regular season but when the playoffs arrive the talent just goes somewhere. Check the stats

Mo during regular season stats
PPG 15.8
APG 5.3
RPG 3.0
SPG 1.0
FT 89%
FG 44%
3P 42%

Mo in playoffs

PPG 14.4
APG 5.4
RPG 3.1
SPG 0.6
FT 80%
FG 40%
3P 32%

Anderson Varejao Season

PPG 8.6
RPG 7.6
APG 1.1
FG 57%

Playoffs

PPG 5.7
RPG 6.5
APG 0.6
FG 41%

You can look up the rest of the players from the team & see that most of their stats decrease in playoffs


they quit just like james
they do not attack
they settle for lazy long jump shots

[rmt]

Magic was a rookie, so how can he a star of the nba joining Kareem???

Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Wilkes, etc. all same status until they have proven to be stars or talented team players.....not of of these guys were at the top of their game and said" ok lets all become lakers to make dynasty....

look bird...MJ...and MJ lol didn't join others to get rings they build and all became stars with talent around them...why do u all not see this?...

lebron is doing what Malone and Payton did with the lakers....
KG did with boston


Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said he never would have joined with Larry Bird to win a championship the way LeBron James is teaming with Dwyane Wade

Why would Magic need to join Bird when he had not just any 7ft+ franchise big man HOFer but a GOAT candidate? I watched the games broadcasted leading up to and including the NCAA championship game and it was clear that Bird and Magic were the future "stars" of the NBA.

I wonder if Laker fans were complaining when Malone and Payton joined the Lakers. They were perfectly within their right to do so, and there was not this uproar that there is with Lebron. Maybe Laker fans are so indignant because the current Lakers now don't have as clear a path to future championships. Kobe would have bailed on the Lakers too if he hadn't been gifted with a 7ft. franchise big man.

There would be criticism of Lebron even if (as KG did), he took more money and stayed in Cleveland. I fault KG for wallowing away his prime in Minnesota instead of leaving, taking less money and trying to build a legacy. I mean, when you earn the kind of money these guys do, what's a few more millions compared to your name/pride/legacy?


The Magic Lakers, Bird Celtics, Jordan Bulls, and Kobe Lakers feared their leaders. They knew it was as Magic put "winnin time" and knew they had to up thier game to coincide with their leader rather that listen to said leader tell them he's taking them to the promised land as they practice their pregame photo shoot routine and dance steps.

Well, it's a good thing that Kobe's teammates didn't "up thier game to coincide with their leader" or the Lakers wouldn't have gone "to the promised land" :rollin Sorry, but Kobe's name just doesn't belong in that list especially after his 25% shooting in game 7.

[daslicer]

I laugh when MJ said that Lebron teaming up with Wade and Bosh is equivalent to him teaming up with Larry and Magic. Thats some bs he's spinning considering Wade and Bosh are nowhere close to being in the same league as Larry and Magic. I love Wades game but I compare him status wise to a young Clyde Drexler except unlike Clyde he had the advantage of playing with a dominant big man earlier in his career that enabled him to get a ring. Bosh on the other hand is great young 7fter all-star but he hasn't won any significant awards to put him in the category of Bird of Magic if anything I think he will play the role of a James Worthy or Parish on this super team.

I will go further to say that Lebron is the best out of the 3 and he will be the number 1 guy on this team. Wade may have history with this franchise but he isn't more talented then Lebron. If you compare both they have had similar teams and one has only managed to win around 45 wins and first round exits the last few years while the other has won back to back 60 wins and has had a finals appearance. Lebron is clearly better but Wade is not that much behind.

In conclusion these legends are just bitter grump old men vying for attention by dissing Lebron. They remind me of old guys hyping up their glory days. You know the typical spiel "Back in my day blah blah blah blah."

[TheKingOfMIA6]

daslicer speaks the truth.

Props sons

[pjjrfan]

they quit just like james
they do not attack
they settle for lazy long jump shots

Really, I agree with Ducks, in 07, the last two series of the last two seasons, it's been James who laid the biggest egg on the floor. IN game 4 when the Cavs had a chance to avoid a sweep James made crucial mistakes in that game, a couple of them totally unforced turnovers, against the Magic his body language had beaten written all over him, the same against the Celtics this year. You look at Wade's performance to avoid a sweep from the Celtics the guy knew his team was beaten but he wasn't he laid his guts out on the floor, and in actuality he did that the whole series but that one game he refused to let his team lose, he ended the night by saying that he wasn't ready to stop playing basketball. I don't see that in James, the talent is there, no question but the take no prisoners no way I"m going to lose mentality isn't.

[ohmwrecker]

I'm impressed this guy's still alive...HIV my ass.

Steroids.

[Booharv]

I'm not one to defend LeBron James too much, but I will to some extent here.

The difference with LeBron is that while he's joining another premier player, it's not like he's joining Kobe and the Lakers who just won a title or the Celtics who just won a couple years ago. He's joining a great player in Wade but a team that has been mediocre at best the last couple seasons and even missed the playoffs a couple years ago.

Also, he was never a rival of Dwyane Wade really, not as much as he was a rival of Carmelo. LeBron and Wade have pretty much always been close friends since they were drafted. Magic and Michael and Larry might be friendly now, but they were never friendly off the court (at least that I know of) to the extent that LeBron and Wade have been. You add the fact that Magic and Michael and Larry became closer friends with their Olympic experience as well, but that happened at the tail end of the careers of Magic and Bird. For LeBron and Wade, that happened after the fifth year of their NBA careers.

I agree for the most part with Magic and Michael criticizing LeBron, but I also think that the two of them using themselves as an example doesn't quite apply because of different circumstances.

Magic and Larry became friends I think in 85 when they filmed a Converse commercial together. Between takes they got to talking and found they had a lot in common and were friendly after that.

[Booharv]

Larry was also one of the first guys Magic called when he found out he had the HIV.

[da_suns_fan]

These guys just love inflating their ego and getting their names in the news again.

Barkley sure didnt mind playing with Kevin Johsnon, Dan Majerle, Tom Chambers and Danny Ainge. He sure got angry in Philly when his teammates sucked.

Magic had Kareem and James Worthy.

Michael had Pippen. The Bulls won 50-something games the season Mike was playing baseball. You think the Cavs will do that next season?

Bird? Gimme a break. The Celtics were basically a dream team.

[mytespurs]

LOL nice find MH.

I think this is just the point of LeBrons life that he has to go through when he's being hated on by his hometown, other nba players, some rappers, legends, Delonte etc. Except for his best friends and now his friends are going to help him to get out of this situation by winning a championship and not one but multiple and when it will be all said and done LeBron will be better than the legends because he sacraficed money for a championship.

I'm a LeBron fan but when it's all said and done, until he actually starts winning a championship or championships, there's no comparisons. These guys have made their legacies-now LeBron gets to make his own.

I don't like the LeBron hating but I don't get upset about opinions 'cause that what they are.....