LOS ANGELES LAKERS legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar caused a stir when he named his all-time greatest NBA point guard.
Abdul-Jabbar, 77, is one of the best ever basketball players who won six championships, five of which were with famous teammate Magic Johnson in Los Angeles during the 1980s.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar caused a stir when naming his best ever point guardGetty Images – Getty
Abdul-Jabbar didn’t name Magic Johnson, despite winning five NBA championships with himGetty
Instead, Abdul-Jabbar went with ex-Milwaukee Bucks teammate Oscar RobertsonGetty
Johnson, 65, enjoyed a brilliant 13-year career with the Lakers and made a strong case as the greatest point guard.
However, Abdul-Jabbar opted for someone completely different with whom he played at the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1970s.
And that was none other than Oscar Robertson, who won one NBA title in 1971 and was named MVP in 1964.
Abdul-Jabbar told PIX11 News in 2023 when asked to name his all-time greatest point guard: “I don’t think you’re going to want to hear this, but Oscar Robertson.
“I only had a chance to play with him at the end of his career but he was awesome.
“And if people had seen him play in the prime of his career and with the three-point shot…
“Oscar had three-point range, but he never got to play when the three-point shot was incorporated into the game”.
Abdul-Jabbar’s pick caused a storm among Lakers fans, who felt he snubbed Johnson.
The six-time MVP then took to social media to set the record straight as he named Magic as his “best teammate ever”.
Abdul-Jabbar clarified: “I picked Oscar Robertson, but I should have said, first of all, that Magic really should get the priority because I played with him, we won five world championships together, and he’s my best teammate ever. So I can’t put anybody else in front of him.
“But I have to give credit to Oscar for being the complete player that he was, and an example for a whole lot of players that come up behind him.
“It’s almost impossible for me to determine who’s the best between all of those guys. But I can tell you why, that’s the success I enjoyed with Magic”.
https://www.the-sun.com/sport/13306746/la-lakers-kareem-abdul-jabbar-nba-magic-johnson/