Magic Johnson says he doesn’t think fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will handle the news well when LeBron James dethrones him as the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer.
During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast on Monday, Johnson said he thinks “it’ll be a hard pill to swallow” for Abdul-Jabbar when James breaks his decades-old record.
“Let’s just be honest, if I got to say it we got to be honest. And the fact that it’s a dude playing for the Lakers as well. It’s a dude playing for L.A. I think he thought he was going to have [the record] forever,” Johnson said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, James — who is averaging 27.3 points this season — is at 37,144 career points. He needs 1,244 more points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, which would take another 46 games, given his current pace.
“We’re never going to see another LeBron, we’re never going to see another Kareem,” Johnson declared.
Lakers star LeBron James during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 23, 2022 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NBAE via Getty Images
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers shoots against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1980 the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Getty ImagesWhen asked if he wishes Abdul-Jabbar and James had a better relationship, Johnson said, “for sure,” adding that the two are somewhat similar in terms of “exceeding expectations” in their basketball careers.
Last December, Adbul-Jabbar said in a written essay that James “encouraged vaccine hesitancy” when he posted a meme about COVID-19 — adding that the post is “a blow to his worthy legacy.”
At the time, James said he “[didn’t] have a response to Kareem at all,” when asked about the situation.
Lakers legends Magic Johnson (R) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) attend the Los Angeles premiere of Apple’s “They Call Me Magic” at The Village Regency Theatre in Westwood, California, on April 14, 2022. AFP via Getty Images Before the season started, James said he does not have a relationship with Abdul-Jabbar.
“I think one day that’s gonna happen,” Johnson said about the two having a relationship one day. “If I can play a part in that, I would love to do that. I think, let him pass him first. Let that happen and let that soak in for a minute and then put the two men together, because they’re gonna find out they’re similar.”
