Gilbert Arenas thinks if Magic Johnson is considered a point guard, LeBron James should rank ahead of him.
Recent weeks have seen a ferocious debate over the greatest point guard in NBA history, with people picking between Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson. Gilbert Arenas has weighed in and said if Magic is a point guard, we have to consider LeBron James’ case because he’s surpassed Magic in his opinion.
“If you’re going to use Magic as the best point guard, I’m going to use LeBron. Now LeBron is the No. 1 point guard. They’re gonna say, ‘Oh LeBron’s not a point guard. He’s led his team in assists every f***ing year. He has to be the best point guard of all time. LeBron was 2.0 of Magic. Coming into the NBA, he was Magic Johnson with Michael Jordan’s jumping ability. If you’re gonna use Magic as a point guard, you have to throw out LeBron as the greatest ever.”
This is a common argument, as many have been calling James a point guard for years. The one season he played the position for the entire season, the Lakers won the championship.
James is No. 4 on the all-time assists charts with 10,420, surpassing the No. 7 Magic, who ended with 10,141 over his career. James also has a much more varied s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁set, given he is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. If both players are considered point guards, it’s hard to make a case for Magic over LeBron.
What Constitutes A Point Guard?
With the changing scope of positions over the years, it’s hard to define who exactly is a point guard. When it comes to filling a positional role on the score chart, Johnson played that role for seven seasons from 1983-84 to 90-91. LeBron has only done that in one season, the 2020-21 season. Curry, on the other hand, has been listed as a PG for his entire career.
Positionally, you have to give Curry the nod. He plays as a guard and always defends other guards. But he doesn’t have the court vision and playmaking ability like Magic or LeBron, the most traditional traits that a point guard is expected to have.
Ultimately, it’ll come down to differences. James doesn’t need to advocate for his position as the greatest point guard, because he’s earned that title at small forward and is looking to be the GOAT regardless of position. Curry and Johnson are closely matched, but this argument will rage on for years after Curry has retired.
