Magic Johnson snubs Steph Curry and LeBron James when naming only five 'superstar' names in NBA history

Magic Johnson snubbed both LeBron James and Steph Curry when naming the five true 'superstars' in the history of the NBA.

Johnson won the NBA Championship five times with the Los Angeles Lakers between 1980 and 1988, and was a 12-time NBA All-Star.

His career narrowly overlapped that of Michael Jordan, who won his first NBA Championship in 1991.

Johnson retired in 1991 following a HIV diagnosis, and played in the 1992 All-Star Game and the entire 1996 season before retiring again.

His experiences in basketball mean he is perhaps the ideal judge of which players can be considered 'superstars' across the entire history of the NBA.

During an appearance on ESPN on Thursday, the now 65-year-old picked five names who he thinks are classed as 'superstars'.

While Jordan was an instant choice, Johnson decided not to choose any of the current era of NBA stars, such as James, Curry and Luka Doncic.

When asked by host Stephen A. Smith to define a 'superstar', he explained: "A person who can go on a road and sell the building. Simple. I'm going to see that person.

"A superstar's gotta say... you're running home from the office and saying, 'Oh, I've gotta see him on TV'.

"Larry Bird, people running home. Charles Barkley, people running home. Shaq, people running home. Kobe, people running home.

Magic Johnson defines a superstar - "A person who can go on the road and sell the building out." pic.twitter.com/KeXDsIsQby

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2025

"And of course, the greatest that's ever played, Michael Jordan. People are running home to see him, or they're trying their best to get into the arena to see that brother play.

"That's a superstar. Who can go on a road and sell the building out."

Speaking on The Dan Patrick Show in 2023, Johnson claimed that LeBron James is 'special', but could never rival Jordan as the greatest to ever do it.

"We've got to celebrate both guys. Michael is the best, and we should celebrate him and celebrate LeBron.

"The guy [Jordan] is just unbelievable. LeBron is special too in his own right, and people shouldn't forget that either. But when it's all said and done, if you come at me and ask me, that's who I am going to with, and it's MJ."