GOAT Index

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Magic Johnson: the case for the GOAT

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    Magic Johnson: the case for the GOAT

    Guard · Lakers · Born 14 August 1959, Lansing, Michigan, USA · Career 1979–1996

    A 6-foot-9 point guard whose no-look passing and joy drove the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, he spent his entire career with the franchise.

    Career highlights

    Why Magic Johnson could be the GOAT

    Magic reached nine Finals in 12 full seasons and won five titles, including Finals MVP as a rookie playing center in Game 6. No big man has ever run an offence like him, and his rivalry with Bird helped rescue the NBA. As a pure winner and playmaker, he has no peer.

    What fans say

    Magic Johnson is #5 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 8–3 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Magic Johnson head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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