Magic had great leadership skills as well as being a great passer. Kobe is one of the most talented players ever regardless of plosition. Jerry West was a great player, just not as good as the teo I voted for.
Michael RJ Harris - 14 years ago
I picked Magic because he is quite simply put, the greatest point guard like ever. HELLO!!!! At 6-9 he was physically imposing to much smaller guards and he could do more than score and dish, he could also rebound. He ranked #1 with the most triple doubles of all-time until I believe Jason Kidd passed him a couple of seasons ago. His court vision was unprecedented as well as his ethusiasm and passion. Now Jerry West was very passionate as well, but I have to settle with what I think is one of the most well polished court entertainers of all-time. I also settled with Kobe Bryant at #2 because he would be #2 behind Jordan when it comes to shooting guards and because we are talking about Laker guards.....Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. Oh and by the way, Kobe is the true assassian of ANY Laker bunch. He is THE BLACK MAMBA after all.
AZTROJAN - 14 years ago
Magic is 1 and Oscar is 1A for point guards. Jordan is 1 and Kobe is 2 for two guards. I would suggest that West is #3 for two guards and #3 for point guards. If he played today he would be a point. He averaged 27 points and 6.7 assists. His best assists year was almost 10 assists and 26 points. He was a great defender and was taller than his 6'3" since he had really long arms. He would have averaged over 30 points if they had a three point line when he played.
Roger - 14 years ago
Apparently some of you only watched West play in the fourth quarter. Every criticism you may have of Kobe is magnified with West. He was a selfish player; my uncle nicknamed him "Mr. Ball Hog." He just dribbled, stopped, and shot. Did he ever make a teammate better? Baylor, Wilt, anyone? West was not even the best guard of his era, as he was consistently shut down and outplayed by Oscar. I have no idea why West is the logo. And he got a coach fired to boot. West did not win the big games. His half-court shot in the playoffs is often shown, but people tend to forget that the Lakers lost the game. Where was he in the overtime? Kobe may be guilty of some of these weaknesses, but he has won championships, which West found difficult. So for all of you West fans and Kobe haters, this is reality--Kobe and Magic are the Lakers' greatest guards.
james - 14 years ago
Lets take Kobe out of the equation as he is a #3 small foward although he can play #2 or #1 guard position. I have to go with Magic & Jerry both were #1's. Breaking them down. Jerry was a much better shooter(scorer) defensive player Magic didn't play defense. Magic was a much better playmaker than jerry because he thought pass 1st & then shoot while Jerry thought shoot 1st & then pass. Very close but I have to go with Magic because if you put Jerry on Magics team he wouldn't win as much as if Magic were on Jerry's laker teams. Just think about Magic with Wilt, Gail, Elgin.
Terry Crow - 14 years ago
The NBA is much different than when West and Goodrich played. The talent is more thin. All of the teams in the NBA in the West era were stocked with talent, not just a few like today because there were less of them. Just ask Jerry Sloan, who played for the Bulls back then how good his team was. Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, etc.
Jerry - 14 years ago
Ed u are an ass for callling kobe a scrub. U are talking about the second greatest 2 guard to ever lace it up behind Jordan. This is the easiest poll I have ever seen Kobe Magic backcourt will be something else I love Jerry West but with all due respect if KOBE PLAYED WITH WILT THE STILT and went to the finals about nine times believe you me Kobe Wilt would have won much more than ONCE .
Andy - 14 years ago
I agree with Big City Sid. It is between West, Magic, and Kobe. With Magic at the point however I would put Kobe as the two guard. I know West was Mr. Clutch but Kobe is up there with him. What tips it to Kobe is his defense. You need Kobe there to help with the perimeter defense.
However, I would have liked to see any combination of the three play together.
Big City Sid - 14 years ago
Why include all these guys? This is strictly between Magic, West & Kobe. Even the 4th best (Gail) is not in the conversation. And since Magic is the only point out of 3 of the best guards in NBA history, it's Magic & Kobe or West. I've seen all of these guys play, fan since '65. Stat wise Jerry & Kobe are pretty close, so close I chose West.
Magic & West, best Laker backcourt all time
Steve - 14 years ago
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't at least include Magic as one of the two. If you saw Showtime you know that he took a whole team and made it an engine of destruction. Look at the shooting percentages of every player on the team, and you can compare them with other NBA teams of that time if you doubt how awesome they were. I hope Laker fans never forget what Magic accomplished, no matter how much we enjoy new talent. I see the debate between West and Kobe, but I'd take West as a better team player (and a better clutch player, by the way), any day.
bruce - 14 years ago
i voted for jerry west and magic johnson. yes, kobe is a great player, but he's a johnny-come-lately after two of the greatest guards in history, nevertheless, i'm sure he will displace west in this poll because most of the voters are young people who never got to see west play. i've been a laker fan since the franchise moved here from minneapolis.
back then, basketball was a team sport, now it's more like a showcase of individual matchups. maybe kobe could take west one-on-one with both in their prime, i dunno, but west was a quintessentially unselfish player who had to share the ball with elgin baylor and wilt chamberlain, among others, which precluded him from ever scoring 81 points in a game. kobe is certainly dominant, but i don't think he's at the same level of unselfish team contribution. ask me again after one or two more rings.
Randy Moris - 14 years ago
Judging best ever players on championships can be misleading. The Lakers with Jerry West played the Boston Celtics year after year. The Celtics talent from top to bottom was the best. I voted for Magic & Jerry with no disrespect to Kobe. Kobe may be the best overall of the 3 but for just pure magical moments it is hard to beat the other two. I'm grateful to be a Laker fan for over 45 years and have to try to figure out who's the best among some of the best guards in NBA history.
Dark Horse - 14 years ago
As far as I am concerned, Magic can be viewed as one of the two best Laker guards and West is the other. It is hard to argue against the logo of the NBA. West did not have the benefit of playing during the time where entertainment is more important than substance. Nor did he have the three point arc to get more points, thereby, adding to spacing to the offensive floor. West played in a league where defense was emphasized every night he played, not just 1 out of 10. While West may have played against lesser athletes, athletic conditioning of today's athletes are similarily pampered by their chartered travel and extensive training and medical staff available to them. West had to play for the team that drafted him, not be able to manipulate a trade to the team he wanted to play for. West played in an era where the dynasty of the period (Celtics) could remain together, and he was on the wrong end of the equation as were Jazz during the 90's with the Bulls.
CACelticGreen - 14 years ago
Great poll. I voted for Magic and Kobe. West is a very close 3rd (and yes, I saw him play - an awesome/deadly shooter!). Both Magic and Kobe are better atheletes than West (though West was a better pure shooter than either Magic or Kobe), so that is why I voted the way I did. As a Celtics fan, I saw all 3 players in a much different way (maybe more objective than most here?). I didn't like them much but I had/have HUGE respect for all 3 of them. They all were/are winners but both Magic and Kobe have withstood the test of time (just a shade over West, IMHO). The rest of these players are "the bench". No one else on that list is even close to these 3-players.
BostonRich - 14 years ago
I know Jerry west played for just one championship team, but the NBA then and the NBA now are 2 totally different games, when West played there was no palming the ball like they do today, they banged more and the refs let them play. Don't get me wrong if Kobe and Magic played in the 60's and early 70's they also would be great, but they dont have the ice water in their veins like Jerry West.....the reason why they called him "Mr Clutch".
Awesome list of guards but I voted for West and Magic.
c grane - 14 years ago
Magic (although the Isiah Thomas comments were unnecessary and beneath him) was simply the best point guard of all time. Kobe is simpy a better basketball player than Jerry West. Jerry was an excellent player, yet, he did not have the total skill package of Kobe Bryant. And Yes, I saw all three play.
East Coast Laker Al - 14 years ago
Ed? Kobe a scrub? You are an IDIOT!
Kobe, Magic, and West are 3 of the best of all time. All had special skills that were better than the other Laker legendary guards; Kobe defense, Magic distributing.
Can't wait for a Lakers/Celtics Finals rematch to get our 2nd in a row!
Sean - 14 years ago
Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson are the two best guards in Laker history. Jerry West is the NBA logo, but delivered only one championship. Kobe and Magic have delivered four and five respectively. I can't give credit to West for his high scoring on non-championship teams when everyone condemned Kobe for the same thing a couple of years ago.
David - 14 years ago
I never got to see Jerry West play but, to his credit, he only was a part of one championship team. I am sure many voters (i assume) took this into account. Therefore, Magic and Kobe would be hands down the best guards to ever have worn the Lakers uniform. Between those two, it is very difficult cus it depends what you like, you got magic who was an assist machine day in and day out, and of course you got Kobe a scoring phenom. Im more of a fan of a flashy, in your face, get off of me type player, like Kobe, than someone who dishes out assist. Theres somethin about demorilizing the opponent who is tirelessly trying to stop Kobe and unable to do so. Anyways, thats my take on that.
Moedelon - 14 years ago
Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant. Three of the best ever, and so hard to choose between them. Jerry, the best shooter, and more athletic than many now credit him for, Magic the consummate point guard and a mismatch for every team that played against him, Kobe, the unstoppable force.
I went with Magic and Jerry, but Magic and Kobe would be an awesome backcourt, and if you went with Jerry and Kobe, you'd have two guys that could score in bunches, handle the ball and defend.
Much as I enjoyed Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott and Gail Goodrich, they aren't in the same conversation.
ed - 14 years ago
kobe is a scrub! he couldn't carry jerry wests jock
Gustavo deObaldia - 14 years ago
Unfortunately,your poll is set at the wrong time.I'm sure most of you folks had not seen Jerry West(he's the guy on the NBA logo,for heavens sake).Also they did not see Gail Goodrich(3 votes?).
I've seen them all play,and truly you who wrote this poll(I believe) know the differance.Not that Earvin,or Kobe belong in the conversation with Jerry(the absolutely do),but the differance in votes tells me.
Magic had great leadership skills as well as being a great passer. Kobe is one of the most talented players ever regardless of plosition. Jerry West was a great player, just not as good as the teo I voted for.
I picked Magic because he is quite simply put, the greatest point guard like ever. HELLO!!!! At 6-9 he was physically imposing to much smaller guards and he could do more than score and dish, he could also rebound. He ranked #1 with the most triple doubles of all-time until I believe Jason Kidd passed him a couple of seasons ago. His court vision was unprecedented as well as his ethusiasm and passion. Now Jerry West was very passionate as well, but I have to settle with what I think is one of the most well polished court entertainers of all-time. I also settled with Kobe Bryant at #2 because he would be #2 behind Jordan when it comes to shooting guards and because we are talking about Laker guards.....Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. Oh and by the way, Kobe is the true assassian of ANY Laker bunch. He is THE BLACK MAMBA after all.
Magic is 1 and Oscar is 1A for point guards. Jordan is 1 and Kobe is 2 for two guards. I would suggest that West is #3 for two guards and #3 for point guards. If he played today he would be a point. He averaged 27 points and 6.7 assists. His best assists year was almost 10 assists and 26 points. He was a great defender and was taller than his 6'3" since he had really long arms. He would have averaged over 30 points if they had a three point line when he played.
Apparently some of you only watched West play in the fourth quarter. Every criticism you may have of Kobe is magnified with West. He was a selfish player; my uncle nicknamed him "Mr. Ball Hog." He just dribbled, stopped, and shot. Did he ever make a teammate better? Baylor, Wilt, anyone? West was not even the best guard of his era, as he was consistently shut down and outplayed by Oscar. I have no idea why West is the logo. And he got a coach fired to boot. West did not win the big games. His half-court shot in the playoffs is often shown, but people tend to forget that the Lakers lost the game. Where was he in the overtime? Kobe may be guilty of some of these weaknesses, but he has won championships, which West found difficult. So for all of you West fans and Kobe haters, this is reality--Kobe and Magic are the Lakers' greatest guards.
Lets take Kobe out of the equation as he is a #3 small foward although he can play #2 or #1 guard position. I have to go with Magic & Jerry both were #1's. Breaking them down. Jerry was a much better shooter(scorer) defensive player Magic didn't play defense. Magic was a much better playmaker than jerry because he thought pass 1st & then shoot while Jerry thought shoot 1st & then pass. Very close but I have to go with Magic because if you put Jerry on Magics team he wouldn't win as much as if Magic were on Jerry's laker teams. Just think about Magic with Wilt, Gail, Elgin.
The NBA is much different than when West and Goodrich played. The talent is more thin. All of the teams in the NBA in the West era were stocked with talent, not just a few like today because there were less of them. Just ask Jerry Sloan, who played for the Bulls back then how good his team was. Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, etc.
Ed u are an ass for callling kobe a scrub. U are talking about the second greatest 2 guard to ever lace it up behind Jordan. This is the easiest poll I have ever seen Kobe Magic backcourt will be something else I love Jerry West but with all due respect if KOBE PLAYED WITH WILT THE STILT and went to the finals about nine times believe you me Kobe Wilt would have won much more than ONCE .
I agree with Big City Sid. It is between West, Magic, and Kobe. With Magic at the point however I would put Kobe as the two guard. I know West was Mr. Clutch but Kobe is up there with him. What tips it to Kobe is his defense. You need Kobe there to help with the perimeter defense.
However, I would have liked to see any combination of the three play together.
Why include all these guys? This is strictly between Magic, West & Kobe. Even the 4th best (Gail) is not in the conversation. And since Magic is the only point out of 3 of the best guards in NBA history, it's Magic & Kobe or West. I've seen all of these guys play, fan since '65. Stat wise Jerry & Kobe are pretty close, so close I chose West.
Magic & West, best Laker backcourt all time
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't at least include Magic as one of the two. If you saw Showtime you know that he took a whole team and made it an engine of destruction. Look at the shooting percentages of every player on the team, and you can compare them with other NBA teams of that time if you doubt how awesome they were. I hope Laker fans never forget what Magic accomplished, no matter how much we enjoy new talent. I see the debate between West and Kobe, but I'd take West as a better team player (and a better clutch player, by the way), any day.
i voted for jerry west and magic johnson. yes, kobe is a great player, but he's a johnny-come-lately after two of the greatest guards in history, nevertheless, i'm sure he will displace west in this poll because most of the voters are young people who never got to see west play. i've been a laker fan since the franchise moved here from minneapolis.
back then, basketball was a team sport, now it's more like a showcase of individual matchups. maybe kobe could take west one-on-one with both in their prime, i dunno, but west was a quintessentially unselfish player who had to share the ball with elgin baylor and wilt chamberlain, among others, which precluded him from ever scoring 81 points in a game. kobe is certainly dominant, but i don't think he's at the same level of unselfish team contribution. ask me again after one or two more rings.
Judging best ever players on championships can be misleading. The Lakers with Jerry West played the Boston Celtics year after year. The Celtics talent from top to bottom was the best. I voted for Magic & Jerry with no disrespect to Kobe. Kobe may be the best overall of the 3 but for just pure magical moments it is hard to beat the other two. I'm grateful to be a Laker fan for over 45 years and have to try to figure out who's the best among some of the best guards in NBA history.
As far as I am concerned, Magic can be viewed as one of the two best Laker guards and West is the other. It is hard to argue against the logo of the NBA. West did not have the benefit of playing during the time where entertainment is more important than substance. Nor did he have the three point arc to get more points, thereby, adding to spacing to the offensive floor. West played in a league where defense was emphasized every night he played, not just 1 out of 10. While West may have played against lesser athletes, athletic conditioning of today's athletes are similarily pampered by their chartered travel and extensive training and medical staff available to them. West had to play for the team that drafted him, not be able to manipulate a trade to the team he wanted to play for. West played in an era where the dynasty of the period (Celtics) could remain together, and he was on the wrong end of the equation as were Jazz during the 90's with the Bulls.
Great poll. I voted for Magic and Kobe. West is a very close 3rd (and yes, I saw him play - an awesome/deadly shooter!). Both Magic and Kobe are better atheletes than West (though West was a better pure shooter than either Magic or Kobe), so that is why I voted the way I did. As a Celtics fan, I saw all 3 players in a much different way (maybe more objective than most here?). I didn't like them much but I had/have HUGE respect for all 3 of them. They all were/are winners but both Magic and Kobe have withstood the test of time (just a shade over West, IMHO). The rest of these players are "the bench". No one else on that list is even close to these 3-players.
I know Jerry west played for just one championship team, but the NBA then and the NBA now are 2 totally different games, when West played there was no palming the ball like they do today, they banged more and the refs let them play. Don't get me wrong if Kobe and Magic played in the 60's and early 70's they also would be great, but they dont have the ice water in their veins like Jerry West.....the reason why they called him "Mr Clutch".
Awesome list of guards but I voted for West and Magic.
Magic (although the Isiah Thomas comments were unnecessary and beneath him) was simply the best point guard of all time. Kobe is simpy a better basketball player than Jerry West. Jerry was an excellent player, yet, he did not have the total skill package of Kobe Bryant. And Yes, I saw all three play.
Ed? Kobe a scrub? You are an IDIOT!
Kobe, Magic, and West are 3 of the best of all time. All had special skills that were better than the other Laker legendary guards; Kobe defense, Magic distributing.
Can't wait for a Lakers/Celtics Finals rematch to get our 2nd in a row!
Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson are the two best guards in Laker history. Jerry West is the NBA logo, but delivered only one championship. Kobe and Magic have delivered four and five respectively. I can't give credit to West for his high scoring on non-championship teams when everyone condemned Kobe for the same thing a couple of years ago.
I never got to see Jerry West play but, to his credit, he only was a part of one championship team. I am sure many voters (i assume) took this into account. Therefore, Magic and Kobe would be hands down the best guards to ever have worn the Lakers uniform. Between those two, it is very difficult cus it depends what you like, you got magic who was an assist machine day in and day out, and of course you got Kobe a scoring phenom. Im more of a fan of a flashy, in your face, get off of me type player, like Kobe, than someone who dishes out assist. Theres somethin about demorilizing the opponent who is tirelessly trying to stop Kobe and unable to do so. Anyways, thats my take on that.
Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant. Three of the best ever, and so hard to choose between them. Jerry, the best shooter, and more athletic than many now credit him for, Magic the consummate point guard and a mismatch for every team that played against him, Kobe, the unstoppable force.
I went with Magic and Jerry, but Magic and Kobe would be an awesome backcourt, and if you went with Jerry and Kobe, you'd have two guys that could score in bunches, handle the ball and defend.
Much as I enjoyed Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott and Gail Goodrich, they aren't in the same conversation.
kobe is a scrub! he couldn't carry jerry wests jock
Unfortunately,your poll is set at the wrong time.I'm sure most of you folks had not seen Jerry West(he's the guy on the NBA logo,for heavens sake).Also they did not see Gail Goodrich(3 votes?).
I've seen them all play,and truly you who wrote this poll(I believe) know the differance.Not that Earvin,or Kobe belong in the conversation with Jerry(the absolutely do),but the differance in votes tells me.