On Wednesday, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins really stirred the pot when he said Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton was a better passer than Magic Johnson.
This statement was made during a segment on NBA todaywhere he ranked Stockton as the all-time leading passer, followed by Magic, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Rajon Rondo.
Both Stockton and Magic rank among the best passers in NBA history. They both led the NBA in assists several times during their Hall of Fame careers.
But NBA fans – the Lakers in particular – hated this take from Perkins. Many called him out on Twitter for saying Stockton was better than Magic:
There is a case to be made for John Stockton, however, even if he hasn’t dazzled fans the way Magic Johnson has.
Stockton led the NBA in assists nine consecutive times between 1988 and 1996. In 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 at 11.2 per game versus 10.5 per game for Stockton.
Although Magic hadn’t retired in four years due to his HIV diagnosis, it’s possible the two battled it out for the assists title for several more years in the early 1990s.
Who do you think was the best passer?