For those who believe that LeBron James is more comparable to Magic Johnson than he is to Michael Jordan, you've got some good company. Pat Riley feels the same way.

"LeBron is the closest thing to Earvin that we've ever seen because of his size, his speed, his acceleration, his vision -- everything that he can do," Riley said Monday night in Los Angeles. "He just had more pressure on him to score all the time."

Magic could have scored more, Riley said, but the Lakers had players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes and Byron Scott to pile up the points.

"The way that LeBron plays the game now -- coast to coast, handles the ball, runs the offense -- it's just like Earvin," Riley said. "Same mold. Sam DNA. They're winners."

"That's why he's the best player," Magic said.

Johnson and Riley spoke inside the Conga Room at LA Live during a special event that American Express produced exclusively for select cardholders. Watch the video above for more of their conversation about James.

The Lakers won four NBA titles with Riley as coach and Johnson as point guard.

As president of the Heat, Riley recruited James to Miami. The team went to the NBA Finals in each of LeBron's four seasons with the Heat, winning two championships.