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Magic Johnson: 'LeBron James Is A Bad Boy But He's Not Michael Jordan'

Originally posted on Fadeaway World | By Gautam Varier | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 2:23 AM ET

Magic Johnson has a lot of love for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, but he continues to side with Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate. During an appearance on Earn Your Leisure, Johnson praised James, but made it clear he's no Jordan.

"The best that's ever done it," Johnson said. "Don't get it twisted. I love LeBron, but no... I love my boy, I love him. But when Michael Jordan took off with that tongue out. Hold up, listen, 'cause a lot of you wasn't born then. 1991 against my Lakers.

"Right hand, we thought we had him," Johnson continued. "He looked as we went down, he switched it to the left hand, tongue went left. Spun it against the glass and good. There's nobody alive that's been able to do just that. That boy is too bad, I'm telling you right now.

"But LeBron is a bad boy, too," Johnson added. "He's a bad boy, but he's not Michael."

Johnson was referring to one of Jordan's most iconic plays there. He pulled off an incredible mid-air, switch-handed layup in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers. Johnson couldn't believe he made that shot, and you can check it out below.

That was the first-ever NBA Finals that Jordan took part in, and he rose to the occasion. He averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game to power the Bulls to victory in five games over the Lakers. He was just getting started, too.

Jordan would lead the Bulls to a three-peat from 1991 to 1993. He then stunned the basketball world by retiring, but returned in 1995. It didn't take long for Jordan to take the Bulls back to the top, as they three-peated again from 1996 to 1998.

In all, Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. That's an incredible resume, and it's not surprising that so many consider him to be the greatest ever today.

Johnson, though, continues to focus just on that move. The 66-year-old had hailed Jordan as the GOAT at a Los Angeles Dodgers event back in August. Johnson stated that no one has done the things the Bulls icon did and brought up the iconic shot against the Lakers.

Johnson went on to add that James and his former Lakers teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar follow Jordan on his all-time list. He also gave a shoutout to Bill Russell, who won a record 11 NBA titles.

While Abdul-Jabbar and Russell had phenomenal careers, James is the one whom a growing number have started to believe has a case to dethrone Jordan. He has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title.

James is also the NBA's all-time leading scorer and isn't done just yet. He can still add to that resume to get more people on his side in the debate. One individual he'll never be able to sway, though, is Johnson.

Johnson once stated that James will never surpass Jordan as the GOAT in his eyes. He added that he wasn't hating, and that speaks to how highly he thinks of his former rival.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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