When ESPN ranked the Top 10 point guards of all-time on Tuesday, some were unhappy with certain omissions. Others simply didn’t agree with the order.
Because a lot of this involves personal opinion and preference without a proper guideline, it’s hard to say what the right order really is. Are you judged on longevity? How dominant you were in your prime? A combination of those things and the number of championships won? Number of All-Star selections? No one really has an answer to these questions.
Still, Magic Johnson, who is ranked the best point guard of all-time on the list, couldn’t stop himself from disagreeing with where his old friend Isiah Thomas was ranked:
ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. There’s no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
Let me remind everyone, young and old, I played against @iamisiahthomas when he was hurt & hobbling on one leg…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
…and @iamisiahthomas still scored 25 points in one quarter in the NBA Finals!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
I love John Stockton, the NBA’s All-Time Assist Leader.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
I love @StephenCurry30, the best shooter we’ve ever seen, but he’s not better than Isiah, at least not yet.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
Of course, it’s hard to truly explain why one player is better than the other over a few tweets, but Johnson doesn’t really provide any logical reason for why he feels what he feels, which is too bad since he can probably explain it in ways most couldn’t if he took the time to. As impressive as it is to score 25 points in a quarter in the Finals with a bum ankle, that alone doesn’t explain how Thomas is better than Stockton and Curry.
Jim Park is a blogger and Tweet of the Night author of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.