Magic Johnson explains why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never gets mentioned in GOAT discussions

[@OMGitsTerasu]

Kareem is in my top 5 all time

[@deebofleebo6427]

I got him #6 with only Duncan, Bird, Magic, Jordan and Olajuwon in front of him

[@Adrienne557]

I remember being a kid in LA and meeting Kareem. He sat and spoke with me and the other kids for a long time and was the sweetest guy. What a career and I'd love to grab a beer with him anytime. I bet it would be a remarkable conversation.

[@demogorgon4244]

most aesthetic and stylish and elegant and unique and effortless of all time.

[@shanenolan085]

Kareem and Magic always get left out of the GOAT discussion which is WILD to me... the impact they had on the game AND their merits are OUTSTANDING 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

[@moonlightsculptor3781]

only casual..

[@verified.my2cents]

Jimmy Fallon: "Best Hot Dog Topping?" Kareem: "The tears of the 1985 Celtics when they lost to the Lakers in the Finals." Jimmy Fallon: "Slam dunk or sky hook?" Kareem: "Slam dunk if I want to intimidate, sky hook if I want to show people they can't stop me if they tried?" Jimmy Fallon: "Who's the greatest of all time, Jordan, LeBron or you?" Kareem: "The GOAT committee meets in secret. OK. That's just something we are not going to know about. But, if LeBron breaks my record in this next year coming up, that'll be one last record that I won't have to worry about ever again." Jimmy Fallon: "But the greatest of all time? Can I just say it?" Kareem: " Why not?" Jimmy Fallon: "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" - The Tonight Show June 20, 2022

[@deebofleebo6427]

Yeah but Jimmy Fallon is a maroon

[@1241fifeanddrum]

I don't know about you ... but he is head and shoulders at the top of my list to have a beer with!

[@crazyman8472]

Nobody roots for Goliath. 😳

[@Audioloon]

Everyone gets fascinated by stats, flashiness, and chest thumping nowadays. IMHO, the only true measures for GOAT status is number of titles won, great team player and genuinely respected by teammates and opposing players and coaches. So, my pick for the GOAT at center is Mr. Bill Russell (RIP). The only record that matters is #11. So many great centers with unique skills in different era's of the game yet only one with 11 titles.

[@albinortiz876]

The issue with that opinion is that a championship is, above all else, a team accomplishment. It's an important part of one's resume, but too much is outside of an individual's control for championships to be the ONLY measurable you're using. If you're just ring counting you'd end up with someone like Big Shot Bob or Hondo in your top 5 even though they aren't nearly as accomplished as true pantheon greats. I love the Russell respect though, he's a huge reason I'm proud to be a Celtics fan.

[@duomaxx]

Problem was, he never faced Wilt in his prime. Didn't even get to face Bill. Got outplayed by Moses, got outplayed by Hakeem(he was 38 back then, but he has James and Magic), got outplayed by Cowens, can't dominate Paul Silas while he subs for Cowens, even 1 of his MVPs is questionable at best. His FMVP resume fails in comparison to MJ, but I believe he should have won it in 1982.

[@eddieG667]

Of all the matchups you mention, the only one that I’ve been alive to see was his 2 playoff losses vs Moses. The Akeem one he handed over the reigns to the team the following season. The 86 Lakers were probably the most predictable squad of all the 80s Laker teams as they become one dimensional For the Walton matchup didn’t their primes overlap since Walton’s prime was very short lived in the late 70s?

[@NextGenAvatar]

Kareem dropped 46 on Hakeem at 38 and 40 against Ewing in the same season.

[@mta6247]

Michael & Bugs Bunny Or Kareem & Bruce Lee Nuff Said

[@deebofleebo6427]

Michael and Bugs all day long... Bruce Lee was a better actor tho

[@adama2292]

@@deebofleebo6427 Kareem vs Bruce Lee > Space Jam

[@jamie49868]

Wilt and Russ. The old guys never gave it up, the young guys followed, then Mike showed up and nobody was looking at Kareem anymore. I'll go with Wilt over Kareem at center and GOAT, but I sure understand if you go Kareem.

[@deebofleebo6427]

Wilt was a career loser! He was dropping in ppg in almost every other category in the playoffs and was losing to 38 win teams in his prime

[@pjpj2639]

The Cassius clay of basketball

[@jalalstephens7457]

People only want guards to be the goat.

[@QaisQais-ge6iq]

Kareem doesn’t drink beer or any alcoholic beverages.

[@redcupangola8847]

So him turning Muslim had nothing to do with it ?

[@anthonybatulis6516]

His arrogance had everything to do with it. Kareem was great but he is not outgoing like Magic. I don't think people cared about his religion.

[@willhooke]

Muhammad Ali is widely held as the GOAT of boxing What you're saying is plausible, but a Muslim is happily seen as the best in boxing 🙂

[@johnb4467]

@@willhooke It seems to be more charisma than anything else. Whether Ali being Muslim played a part...I'm sure it did to an extent. But that he was SO charismatic more than offset that. Kareem was definitely on the other end of that spectrum. It's a bummer that's a factor in these conversations, but it certainly is. Michael Jordan definitely had a bit of Kareem's aloofness & 'arrogance' -- but he also built an almost-flawless marketing / public image that carries his brand strongly still.

[@TheLionaaa]

Well, the truth is as great as he is, he has objectively nothing on Jordan. You can even make a case Magic was better. But Jabbar is right there.

[@TheLionaaa]

@Ocean Lives Are you dumb? I'm talking NBA. NCAA doesn't mean shit. 6 MVP's for Kareem? What is it worth when you know he didn't deserve 6 and Jordan deserved more than 5 (I witnessed Jordan by the way). Kareem got an MVP and didn't even make the playoffs so there is NO WAY he should have been MVP this year. Jordan, on the other side, should DEFINITELY have had more than 5 and everybody knew that, even when he was playing. I remember a famous quote from Phil Jackson back in the day, saying: As long as MJ plays, the MVP designates the second-best player of the season". The difference in the number of all-star games is only due to the fact that Jordan RETIRED 3 TIMES during his career (not because there were some seasons where he wasn't playing at an all-star level). He was still a legitimate all-star even at 40, on a bad roster. That wasn't the case with Kareem You brought up KAJ winning without magic. He won with Oscar Robertson. Jordan never played with somebody as good as Magic or Oscar. Jordan never won without Pippen? What does it mean really? Jordan was averaging 45 in the playoffs and Pippen was averaging like 10 when they won their first playoff series. So what? What are you trying to prove with this dumb argument? What else do you got? Again, Kareem has nothing on Jordan, period.

[@TheLionaaa]

@Ocean Lives Too much BS here. I can't answer to that...

[@TheLionaaa]

@Ocean Lives You didn't talk facts. You talk feelings and dumbness...very different... I don't give a damn if nobody loves or hates Kareem. I'm a fan of basketball and basketball history. That's the difference between me and you...

[@rahimabduljabbar6150]

KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR is the GOAT period.

[@deebofleebo6427]

Yeah right he got eliminated by every dominant center he's ever played in the playoffs including a 6'9 Dave Cowens and he missed the playoffs twice in his prime

[@Willetkick]

@@deebofleebo6427 Jordan Loon 😂😂

[@jdstox1]

i dont buy this......jordan was a jerk to people too

[@jamie49868]

Yeah, but not to the media. Big diff.

[@deebofleebo6427]

Yeah but Jordan is the greatest scorer of all time and easily a top 5 defensive player! Kareem just wasn't as good

[@johnb4467]

Yeah, likely the biggest difference is Jordan was business centered...so through marketing & being cognizant of what he wanted to accomplish -- he always made sure to keep a stellar outward-facing public image.

[@jdstox1]

@@johnb4467 i agree....jordan is very intelligent and one to be admired in many ways...kareem was just kareem....take it or leave it

[@johnb4467]

@@jdstox1 Which, to me, is honestly every bit as admirable (being who you are!) -- as a result it just also happened to take him out of certain conversations. ;)

[@BrockMak]

Irony: Dude's a teetotal and a devout Muslim. You don't need an essay to prove why he isn't interested in literally grabbing a beer.

[@TheMutantssolosyourverse]

He was the best to me until lebron broke his record, so he was in my top two

[@Mike1122.]

LeBron not even top 5.

[@OLyonnais28]

Before making him out to be an asshole, you should have delved into the racial dynamic in the US at the time. Just saying

[@deebofleebo6427]

Kareem got eliminated by every dominant center he's ever played against in the playoffs and Finals, including 6'9 Dave Cowens and a 23y old Olajuwon even tho Kareem had one of the greatest super teams of all time! Kareem also missed the playoffs twice in his prime in the weak era of the mid 70's! His points were dropping every single year until Magic was drafted and then Worthy, to save his legacy! Anybody that knows NBA history knows why he's not the goat

[@elevatorelliot714]

That’s just a few years, and he was past his prime in 1986.

[@deebofleebo6427]

@@elevatorelliot714 he had just won Finals MVP the year before so stop already with the excuses

[@elevatorelliot714]

@@deebofleebo6427 That doesn’t mean he’s in his prime. We’re talking about Kareem. Either way it’s not a very good argument because Shaq lost to every great C in the finals to, this is a stupid argument.

[@deebofleebo6427]

@@elevatorelliot714 it doesn't matter cuz he missed the playoffs twice in his prime. He also got swept by the Sonics and outplayed by 6'9 Dave Cowens in his prime! Dave Cowens scored more points, rebounds, steals and blocks than Kareem in game 7 of the 74' Finals. Is it a stupid argument now?

[@elevatorelliot714]

@@deebofleebo6427 I’m just using your logic, Shaq had won Finals MVP then next year lost to Tim Duncan, stupid logic.

[@jrr3787]

Michael jordan shouldn't even be in the conversation. Top players ever: Wilt Bird Doc Kareem Magic Gervin Jordan

[@shamadam1]

Top 10 of all time... Kareem, MJ, LBJ, Magic, 🐦,wilt, Russel, Shaq, Kobe, dr J..... honorable mentions Steph, Bob Cousy, pistol Pete, KD, Duncan, Oscar, Baylor, Stockton, hakeem

[@jrr3787]

You're insane. Leflop isn't even in the top 100. @@shamadam1

[@kingsleyjackson8287]

Kareem can’t shoot 3’s,free throws,midrange,dribble,steal,pass

[@pauldeaconu8617]

1 made three pointer in his career and still the all-time leading scorer. Moreover, his free-throw shooting is almost as good as LeBron's, and has recorded more than 6000 assists in his career (not counting his NCAA days). Need I mention his rebounding and blocking stats?

[@deebofleebo6427]

@@pauldeaconu8617 yeah if you play for 20 years, you're gonna have more points! The only people ahead of Jordan in all time scoring played much longer than him and the only 2 guys ahead of him in steals both played about 20 seasons. Context matters

[@pauldeaconu8617]

@@deebofleebo6427 First, it's extremely hard to play for 20 years at Kareem's level, hardly missing more than 5 games a season, and being a perennial MVP candidate. You add in the 4 years he played in the NCAA while becoming its most distinguished player ever, we're talking about 24 YEARS at an elite level! The dude is an absolute beast.

[@kingsleyjackson8287]

@@deebofleebo6427 Kareem still can’t shoot 3,s or dribble,his career free throws 72% and his assists 3.6

[@pauldeaconu8617]

@@kingsleyjackson8287 Dude, he's not a guard, he didn't need to