Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Magic Johnson's Message on Lakers Legend Carries Weight

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 9:42 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has no doubt in his mind about the greatness of fellow NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Johnson played alongside Abdul-Jabbar with the Lakers for 10 seasons and won five championships, forming one of the most lethal duos in NBA history. With that, Johnson himself knows very well what Abdul-Jabbar accomplished throughout his career.

So, as the former NBA center celebrated his 78th birthday on Wednesday, Johnson made sure to remind everyone why he considers the six-time NBA MVP the "most decorated basketball player of all time."

"Happy birthday to the Captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!" Johnson started his post.

"If you combine three high school, three college, and six NBA championships, he is the most decorated basketball player of all time. Nobody’s basketball career is even close to Kareem’s - spanning his high school, college and NBA years!"

Happy birthday to the Captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! If you combine three high school, three college, and six NBA championships, he is the most decorated basketball player of all time. Nobody’s basketball career is even close to Kareem’s - spanning his high school, college and NBA… pic.twitter.com/heXMopbdgd
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 16, 2025

Magic Johnson certainly couldn't have said it any better. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has simply dominated ever since he started playing basketball, and it's hard to compare him to anyone else given the success he had at every level.

Abdul-Jabbar—who was known as Lew Alcindor before changing his name—anchored Power Memorial Academy in its three consecutive New York City Catholic championships. The program even won 71 straight games with the big man leading the way, per ESPN.

After that, Abdul-Jabbar dominated once again at the collegiate level, powering the UCLA Bruins to three NCAA championships in a row.

In the NBA, he had a total of six championships, with his first one coming in 1971 when he was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Abdul-Jabbar also held the NBA all-time scoring record for four decades before LeBron James broke it in 2023. He finished his career with 38,387 points, which remains the second-most in the history of the league.

True enough, it's hard to argue with Johnson's claim about Abdul-Jabbar. And as he said, it might be hard to see anyone as successful as Abdul-Jabbar was across all levels of the sport.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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