Monday, October 17th, 2011 at 1:25 pm  |  90 responses

Video: Magic Johnson Takes Shots at LeBron James

“There will always be guys who win Championships…except LeBron.”

In what looks like an otherwise harmless speech at the University of Albany, Magic Johnson fired multiple verbal shots at LeBron James while (presumably) speaking to a group of students. You’ll see the first at the 1:08 mark in the vid above. (H/T: Terez Owens)

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  • cnewells

    He actually did seem pretty frustrated, but why give this rant to a random group of students? LeBron sucks bro Magics right, he must have been playing a lot of 2k12 or somethin

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Can’t watch the video at work but… Why so harsh?

  • http://slamonline.com YKnoT

    I’m not even a Lebron fan and I’m getting sick of this. Does having a championship automatically make you a great player and vice versa for lack there of? So BJ Armstrong is a better pg than CP3? Mario Elie would kill Durant? Bill Cartwright better than Ewing? Gimme a break!

  • OKalnins

    Priceless…

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Word. I guess CBarkley, EBaylor, KMalone, JStock, Nique and PEwing must all be bums in Magic’s eyes.

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    THE LEBRON HATE HAS BECOME SO PASSE

  • http://www.twitter.com/xpotatotitsx mersh

    is magic going to make an attempted tour at standup comedy? blaaahhhh and i hate lebron too.

  • http://www.twitter.com/nflem41 Nicolas Fleming

    So is it easier to make fun of LeBron or Bosh?

  • Jono

    Magic had Kareem, Big Game James and host of other great role players. Not to mention Pat Riley. Judge LeBron and the Heat after at least 3 seasons, not 1. Fu(king Magic Johnson, right pain in the ass sometimes.

  • AD

    i really think this is justa joke and maybe they are doing this thinkn lebron will use this as motivation i think magic wants to see lebron win but can’t say it nicely because the story wont be as interesting.

  • O

    I think LeGone b*tched up with the move to Miami, but even i’m tired of all these shots being fired at son. LBJ is BOUND to win at least 2 chips. So until he retires in the HOF section where Ewing, Barkley, Malone, and Stockton reside, can’t really talk about him not having any rings like it’s never going to happen. That said, F*CK LeGone Dames. Let’s go Knicks!

  • http://stapledesign.com Spaceship Jay

    Yep, Magic Johnson HATES Lebron. Did anyone else read the article about the Heat voodoo dolls in Magic’s attic? or the fact that he secretly got kcuF norbeL inscribed on all the insides of Starbucks coffee cups? They’re great reads. Great reads.

  • marc

    im tired of the lebron hate. And im a kobe fan. And coming from me whether lebron gets a ring or not he’s still amazing and a great basketball player. He’s probably the best NATURALLY gifted player we seen.

  • http://offthebackboard.wordpress.com/ Off The Backboard

    Love it. Kind of weird for him to do it in front of a group of students (I think he was just trying to get a rise out of them), but its good to see players expressing how they really feel. After reading True Hoop’s asinine article by that faux-journalist Henry Abbott giving fellatio towards the Decision, this was a welcome sight.

  • Heals

    Isn’t this the same guy who said the torch had been passed by Kobe to him less than 2 years ago (I might be wrong, but could’ve sworn he said it on a pregame show)? This constant “where does so-so rank?” is so tiresome nowadays. Doing it every month with LeBron’s legacy (actually not his fault most of the time, i.e. Pippen’s remarks) is exhausting…

  • ugly_fish

    I don’t think Magic is saying “Lebron sucks” or anything like that…HE’S SAYING ITS FRUSTRATING AND CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE PUT LEBRON IN THE SAME CLASS AS KOBE AND JORDAN. Which is correct because Lebron hasn’t won anything and he choked hard in the Finals (which is irrespective of the supporting cast argument).

  • http://offthebackboard.wordpress.com/ Off The Backboard

    I also find it funny that people scream “WHAT’S WITH THE HATE?” regarding anything related to Lebron when a couple of years they did the same thing to Kobe and ignored Laker/Kobe supporters trying to defend Kobe in the same way. Doesn’t feel good to be on the defensive all the time, does it, Lebron fans? Unfortunately for the rest of us “haters”, Lebron is going to get at least a ring or two in the near future, there’s no question about that.

  • Do Work

    What was the actual reason Magic is giving a speech? To repeat his same opinions about basketball that we’ve heard before?

  • http://nba.com GP23

    Believe me.. LeBron will be so fired up for next season (whenever it is), and just go HAM on everyone. I see him winning an MVP and a ring in the same season. It’s only a matter of time. People need to lay off him, I like Magic, but this was totally unnecessary for him to say this.

  • andy

    i think this shows lebron needs to be roasted. Jeff d
    Ross please get onto it!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    this was unnecessary but Magic is right however. People need to stop comparing that dude to Jordan and Magic. Last season people were so quick to have him leapfrog Kobe in the GOAT debate until he stunk it up in the finals.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    ^Kobe and LeBron are in a GOAT debate? LOL, no they aren’t. Both top 20 for sure, but no one (who is sane and sober) is saying that either of them could be GOAT.

    LeBron will stop all of this once he wins a Chip. So win it next year so we can stop hearing all these peeps bi*ching about it. (Only problem is the Lakers are winning the Chip next year!)

  • T-Money

    i don’t understand the timing though. it seems the rant was totally unprompted. odd.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    To me, it’s pretty obvious why Magic is so heated.
    He keeps saying to stop comparing LeBron to Jordan and Bird, but what he really wanted to say was he’s tried of Bron being compared to HIM.
    Think about it, since high school most analysts believed he was more Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan.
    More of a triple-double threat than a scoring terror (although he can be that, too).
    I bet Magic been bottling up these feelings since the comparisons first started back when Bron was like a high school sophomore.
    He really wanted to say “come on, I’ve got 5 championships!” but didn’t want to sound too egotistical so he used Jordan instead.
    My two cents.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    yeah i don’t get what motivated Magic to do this. Maybe someone called him Tragic recently and he needed to divert attention….

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Enigmatic is right.
    Nobody has a bigger ego than Magic. The same size, yes, but bigger? Hell no.

  • http://slamonline.com datkid

    lebron is laughing about this right now… but when the season starts he’s gonna try and average like 40 10 and 10..

  • ionmic

    Mt feeling is that these guys like Magic dislike Lebron cos he is cashing in on being the next greatest and physically he is unrivalled but they see that he doesnt have the mental toughness to be as great as they were and they don’t want to tarnish their greatness by having a fake like lebron become ‘The greatest’. The difference between larry,magic, mike, even kobe and any other great isnt that they were far better athletes it was their mental toughness and dedication. Then we have lebron using his name to make money on the side hosting parties and generally exploiting his potential greatness to make a few extra bucks and never developing those inner qualities that you need in order to fulfill his potential.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    datkid, Like when you said LeBron was laughing last season and that he would average a trip doub, prove all the critics wrong, and win a chip. Whens the laughing stop and the actually winning the Chip and averaging a triple double start? Stop with the non sense about averaging 40,10,10 for once and acknowledge that he will never do that and needs to win next year before he can start laughing again? Am I right? I know i’m right.

  • http://stapledesign.com Spaceship Jay

    HA! Co-sign LakeShow.

  • LA Huey

    Nobody in their right mind predicts a human being averaging 40-10-10 in today’s NBA. Saying ish like that is how you effectively excuse yourself from a conversation.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Huey, and thats all I meant. LeBron is the best overall player right now. That’s obvious. BUT, to all the slurpers, stop doing that to LbJ! He is fantastic, stop putting ridiculous expectations on dude. Avg. 27,7,7 next year and play even better D and win a chip! Thats the only thing LBJ needs to do and has a realistic chance of doing.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I though the key word in Dat Kid’s comment was “try.”
    Maybe I was wrong.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    It was try, but lakeshow is an overreact-er lol

  • http://@cookinwitPOTS P.O.T.S

    THERES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GREAT ATHLETE AND A GREAT BASKETBALL PLAYER!!!! the thing is lebron is uncoachable. Lets be honest, mike brown was more of a spectator when lebron excelled in his in his amazing cleveland playoff runs. Who really thoupoght spoelstra was capable of gelling together those egos and such talents? Did the officials even respect his authority to call a timeout? You would never see scottie and mike mocking the illness of an opposing great player after a game that they lost. The character of a great player comes out when they outcome arrives.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Kobe’s gunna try and score 100 in every game he plays next year!

  • 2307

    I love magic, but I do remember (by which i mean watched the re-runs and heard him talk about it) a celtics lakers finals when he didnt play so hot himself! lets just see how LeBron has done when his careers over! im just saying

  • seriousblack

    Kobe doesn’t have the energy or knees to “try”, rocket surgeon! :D

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Lakeshow, he has done that every game of his career but game 7 against Phoenix in 06. haha

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    ^true.
    When has Kobe not “tried” to score 100?
    Kobe been gunning since gunning was a gunner. Lol.
    I thought Dat Kid was saying Bron is going to be mad and try to kill because of those comments. Now, I think that’s silly because Bron already is motivated enough, but I think it’s sad when people are reaming Dat Kid for something he didn’t even say.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    LOL. So true he does!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    @lakeshow, they are mentioned, but I was being lazy and didnt want to specify that I was talking about the greatest PLAYERS of all-time, and not the greatest PLAYER. Many analyst last playoffs were acting like it was a foregone conclusion that Lebron was better than Kobe.

  • Red Star

    Lmao! Magic is a wicked man!

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Great job Magic, I can’t wait until his tour hits up North Carolina!!!

  • Chukaz

    I wonder if he’s mad cuz he knows that if LeBron was the starting PG for those Laker teams in the 80′s the Lakers would’ve never lost a single game EVER. This is coming from a Laker fan. I hate LeBron as much as anybody from Cleveland, but come one son. Respect the man’s game. The fact that LeBron hasn’t won any championship’s doesn’t mean he’s a lesser player. Stephen Jackson’s got a ring, does that make him better than LeBron? No it does not. The reason LeBron has never won is because nobody has ever told him no. If a couch would’ve told him at some point “no LeBron, you can not run the offense” maybe LeBron would’ve won by now

  • http://kingakai.com Alpha-bet

    I agree with Enigmatic, I think Magic really wants to say stop comparing dude to ME! He would never publicly say that though, as to not come off egotistical.
    Even though Magic was right, that rant come out of nowhere and was a bit ackward too.

  • blakos

    Just some standard 2011 jokes to get the crowd laughing.

  • Ali

    well lebron does suck

  • LA Huey

    datkid was also telling us what LBJ’s acute reaction the situation and how he plans on doing about it. Might want to correct him about that unless we’re assuming he’s actually Maverick Carter or LBJ himself.

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    C’mon Magic, really? You’re like 53 years old. Of course someone my age would clown Lebron like that, but dang, Magic unleashed feelings that were obviously held in for awhile. …..Then again, why am I surprised? He is Magic Johnson after all…..

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