“Where Michael couldn’t sniff a championship and Magic Johnson won 5” - Nick Wright says only LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can be ranked ahead of Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson was one of the best players in the league at his peak. Still, Magic's career is sometimes forgotten because of his teammates and a career essentially shortened to 12 games because of his AIDS diagnosis.

Nick Wright believes the LA Lakers legend is among the greatest players in NBA history. In fact, Wright feels that Johnson is the fourth greatest player ever behind the two LA Lakers and Michael Jordan.

During a recent podcast, Wright said:

"Magic's career, I just want to reiterate the bold points. He had 12 years before he had to retire due to HIV. It was during one of the most competitive eras in NBA history, the 1980s, an era where now, obviously, Magic's older than Michael – came in before Michael – but where Michael couldn't sniff a championship, and Magic Johnson won five."

While Johnson was not alone powering that Lakers dynasty, he played a critical role in winning their championships. He eventually helped end a Boston Celtics dynasty that was the first significant threat to Jordan's success.

At his peak, Johnson played like one of the best players in basketball history. Wright pointed out how good Johnson was in his prime:

"He went to the finals nine times. He played for 12 years. Those nine years, he won league MVP three times, finished second in league MVP voting three time, and came in third three times. So, 75 percent of his healthy years, he was a top three player in the sport."

While others have had successful stretches in their careers, being a top three player for nine years straight is almost impossible. Few players have ever accomplished that feat, let alone won three MVPs in the process.

Due to how dominant Johnson was in his prime, Wright believes that only a select few players should be considered ahead of Magic.

Nick Wright believes only three players should be considered more significant than Magic Johnson

According to Nick Wright, LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of a few players on Magic's level.

Given Magic Johnson's success at his peak, analyst Nick Wright believes only a few players can be above him, saying:

"Putting anyone other than Kareem, Michael and LeBron (James) ahead of Magic is so wantonly disrespectful and insane. If Magic hadn't been diagnosed with HIV, he would have, I think, finished his career with a legitimate GOAT case."

On his best days, Earvin Johnson would prove why he earned the nickname of Magic.

While separating the all-time greats can be complex, Johnson did plenty in his short career to prove his greatness.

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