Former Cleveland Cavaliers Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye have thoughts on who the greatest point guard in NBA history is. Jefferson and Frye, who won a championship with the Cavs in 2016, recently opined that as great as Stephen Curry is, he is not on the same level as Magic Johnson once was.
The controversy started when Stephen Curry proclaimed to Gilbert Arenas (when asked) that he was the greatest point guard ever. Jefferson and Frye took to their own Road Trippin’ Podcast to discuss the debate, and they left no room for doubt on where they stand.
“Steph doesn’t want that smoke,” said Jefferson. “As great as Steph is, it’s not even close. It’s not even close.”
“You ain’t him,” said Frye. “You are not him. You know that meme?”
Yes, Channing, we do know that meme. By any metric worth considering, Stephen Curry is indeed him. It’s true that, especially in that fateful 2016 series against the Cavs, Curry didn’t have his greatest performance.
Still, downplaying Curry’s accomplishments or contributions to the game would be foolish. In terms of how the game is actually played, Curry is arguably far more influential than Johnson was. Does that mean he was better? Not necessarily. But few could argue with the drastic shifts in the NBA that have occurred since Curry’s prime began in the early 2010s.
Debates like this will never have one true answer. However, it’s important to remember that Curry is still playing at an All-NBA level, and it’s not out of the question that he could add more accolades to his resume before he hangs up the sneakers.