EL SEGUNDO, CA – SEPTEMBER 20: Earvin “Magic” Johnson discusses the upcoming Los Angeles Lakers’ season at UCLA Health Training Center on September 20, 2018 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins really stirred the pot by declaring that Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton was a better passer than Magic Johnson.
That statement was made as part of a segment on NBA Todaywhere he ranked Stockton as the best passer of all-time, followed by Magic, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Rajon Rondo.
Stockton and Magic both rank among the greatest in NBA history as passers. They both led the NBA in assists multiple times in their Hall of Fame careers.
But NBA fans – Lakers in particular – hated this take from Perkins. Many have taken to Twitter calling him out for saying Stockton was better than Magic:
There is a case to be made for John Stockton though, even if he didn’t dazzle fans the way that Magic Johnson did.
Stockton led the NBA in assists nine straight times between 1988 and 1996. By contrast, Magic led the NBA in assists three times.
Stockton is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists with 15,806. Magic ranks sixth at 10,141. Although on a per-game basis, Magic was better with 11.2 per game versus Stockton’s 10.5 per game.
Although Magic had not been retired for four years due to his HIV diagnosis, it is possible that the two would have dueled for the assists title for several more years in the early 1990s.
Who do you think was the better passer?
.