LeBron James must've been expecting this.
Much to his dismay, the four-time MVP is constantly compared with Michael Jordan and even Kobe Bryant. So when he was asked to name his top three basketball players of all time, he must have (or, at least, should have) known there would be some backlash.
And it didn't take long after James listed Jordan, Dr. J and Larry Bird as his version of the top three basketball players ever that Magic Johnson responded.
Lebron is entitled to his opinion, but I still think that he and I have a similar game and that’s why I LOVE to watch him play!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 22, 2013
NBA Championship rings are all that matter; Jordan 6, Me 5, Bird 3, LeBron 2 and Dr. J 1.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 22, 2013
In LeBron's defense, a) he was given an impossible task and b) he did name Johnson as a close fourth. Plus, titles are a misleading way to rank greatness. Robert Horry has more rings than any of the players that Johnson named, but no one would argue he's better than those guys.
Lastly, both LeBron and Magic left Bill Russell off their lists. What, 11 championships doesn't do it for you guys?
