Magic Johnson reacts to Stephen Curry's touching moment with Lakers rookie
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When Magic Johnson retired from the NBA, he did so as one of the game’s greatest and most influential players… someone who perfectly blended showmanship and flair with cutthroat competitiveness and a sense of the moment. He was a five-time NBA Champion, a three-time MVP, and a 10-time All-NBA selection. And while younger fans could certainly look up his stats or even check out old Magic highlights on YouTube and be amazed, today, he’s largely known for his comical use of social media.
Many of today’s younger fans, and even the players who have come into the NBA, have not grown up idolizing the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, or even Michael Jordan. These guys had departed the hardwood long before they ever had dreams of playing in the NBA. The guys they idolized are icons in their own right, however. Guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. Evidence of this:
Special Stuff pic.twitter.com/kVzCEcpE7s
— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) October 19, 2024
Undrafted Los Angeles Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari was born in 2001. That means when he was eight years old, Stephen Curry was making his NBA debut with the Golden State Warriors. After spending his formative years watching the game’s greatest shooter, when Olivari had the opportunity to talk with Curry after a Lakers preseason game against the Warriors, it later moved him to tears.
Now we circle back to Magic Johnson, who with a tweet on Saturday night, accurately captured what it is about this amazing, beautiful game that continues to resonate with each and every generation of young fans and players.
“I watched Quincy Olivari's interview after his 22 point performance last night against the Suns where he cried talking about meeting and talking to his hero Steph Curry, mentioning how he used to sleep in his jersey every night. It was powerful and it truly touched me! Everybody should go watch it back when they get a chance. Larry and I often get credited for helping change the game, but Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant have been instrumental in the changing the game today!”
Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant are modern NBA torchbearers
Moments like this are becoming more and more commonplace, thanks in large part to the remarkable longevity of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. It helps that not only are LeBron, Steph and KD still in the league, but they’re all still arguably top ten players in the world, which is practically unprecedented given how long they’ve been playing in the NBA.
Young players haven’t been shy about the influence that these three have had on their professional pursuits. Anthony Edwards has spoken at length about his admiration for Kevin Durant, even after eliminating Durant in the NBA Playoffs. Before his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic called LeBron James “his idol.” And despite the fact that his father had four NBA Finals battles with him, Bronny James even listed Stephen Curry as one of his favorite players.
Someday (hopefully not too soon) after Steph, LeBron, and KD have retired, it will be guys like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic who are spoken about so glowingly by the next generation of young stars. And frankly, this is something that the NBA desperately needs.
For too long, so much of the media coverage of the league was negative. Too often, players from different generations were pitted against each other for no good reason, and it seemed to create a divide between eras. But in the end, all of these players belong to an incredibly exclusive fraternity, and they should all by celebrated by one another.
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