Kareem Abudl-Jabbar. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has surprising pick in GOAT point guard debate

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated 9/15/23

Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does not think Magic Johnson is the greatest point guard of all time.

Abdul-Jabbar played a full decade alongside Johnson as the pair dominated the 1980s to the tune of five purple and gold championships. But the title runs apparently didn’t convince the Captain enough to brand his longtime teammate the “GOAT” (greatest of all time) point guard.

The debate between Johnson and Stephen Curry has been a topic of discussion of late after the Golden State Warriors star recently picked himself over Magic in the PG GOAT discussion.

However, Abdul-Jabbar didn’t choose Steph Curry, either. When asked by reporter Justin Walters of PIX11 news to settle the debate, the 5-time MVP opted for another former teammate Oscar Robertson.

“I don’t think you’re going to want to hear this. Oscar Robertson. The Big O. I only had the chance to play with him at the end of his career, but he was awesome,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

Who’s the GOAT when it comes to point guards?! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t think it’s Magic or Curry. He told me it’s Oscar Robertson. #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/3QL4N8lhMJ

— Justin Walters (@JustinWaltersTV) September 14, 2023

Abdul-Jabbar lamented that many of today’s fans were never able to see Robertson play in his prime. The former Milwaukee Bucks center also believed that the Big O had three-point range during a time when the three-point arc was not yet being used in the NBA.

Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar played in four seasons together with the Bucks. They won the 1971 championship in their very first season together.

Robertson had career averages of 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists across 14 NBA seasons. He was named an All-Star 12 times and led the league in assists on six different occasions.

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

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