“Steph might have 50 points, but he’s gonna have three to four rebounds” – Michael Cooper on why Magic is the best point guard of all time originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When discussing the greatest point guard of all time, many fans are quick to crown Stephen Curry simply because he single-handedly revolutionized the game with his three-point shooting. There’s no denying that his long-range shooting has changed the way basketball is played at every level.
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However, there is never a debate for Michael Cooper, who spent his entire 12-year-long NBA career playing alongside Magic Johnson and won five championships together for the Los Angeles Lakers. In his eyes, no one surpasses the 6’9″ point guard as the three-time MVP could dominate games in diverse ways that most other guards couldn’t even dream of.
Cooper explains why Magic is the greatest PG
While Magic’s scoring average and efficiency may never match Curry’s, his overall impact on winning was undeniable. Take 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals, for instance. As a rookie, the 12-time All-Star filled the void of Kareem Abdul Jabbar by scoring a 41-point, 15-rebound double-double against Dr. J’s Philadelphia 76ers to lead his Showtime Lakers to a championship.
Then, in the 1984 Finals, he averaged 18 points and 13.6 assists per game. But when the Purple and Gold were desperate to avenge their arch-rivals Boston Celtics in the following year, the Michigan native elevated his production to 18.3 points and 14 assists per game to win the silverware for his team. Similarly, in the ’87 NBA Finals, he elevated his scoring average to 26.2 points to win the title for his team.
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So, for Mike, it wasn’t about Magic’s ability to win ways through different aspects but how he adjusted his game to make it easier and the impact of his teammates more meaningful in a selfless manner that impressed him the most. He wasn’t just an elite scorer or a playmaker.
Still, Johnson led fast breaks by dominating the glass when the team needed a dominant rebounder. And for ‘Coop,’ icons like Steph can have such a decisive game-winning impact only if they score game-high points.
“”Yeah, I would say so,” Cooper said on Johnson being the best point guard of all time. “Only reason I say that… because there’s been some great names: Allen Iverson was a hell of a point guard. Isiah Thomas, another good point guard. Bob Coudy, in his own way, a great. Steph Curry.
“But as far as for me, what Magic did… in a point guard you look for speed, you look for creativity, Magic had all that in a big package. Yeah, Steph Curry might have 50 points but he’s gonna have three or four rebounds, he’s gonna have maybe six or seven assists. Magic was scoring 30 and getting double-doubles – 15 boards and 15 assists. So, for me, Magic would be a force in today’s game,” he added.
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Magic is more versatile than Steph
There’s no question that the two-time MVP and the greatest shooter in NBA history changed the league forever; perhaps some would even reckon that his deep-range shooting has defined the modern game.
But Magic, in Cooper’s eyes, showed what a complete point guard could be – someone who could lead a team to dynasty status not just by putting up points but by orchestrating every aspect of the game.
Having won five championships under Magic’s leadership, the former DPOY is well aware that no point guard as versatile as Johnson has arrived in the league yet.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.