"Magic was the greatest team defensive player" - Michael Cooper debunked the notion that Magic Johnson was a defensive liability

Yahoo

22-06-2025

"Magic was the greatest team defensive player" - Michael Cooper debunked the notion that Magic Johnson was a defensive liability originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Magic Johnson is still at the top of most people's all-time point guard lists. The few who are hesitant to give him that crown point to, among other things, his defensive deficiencies, especially for a guy of his size.
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The 6'9" legend never earned a single All-Defensive Team selection. Meanwhile, his arch-rival Larry Bird, who also wasn't perceived as a great defender, did it three times.
Some would even go so far as to say that Johnson was a defensive liability for the iconic "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers. However, his longtime teammate Michael Cooper refuted those claims — and then some.
Michael Cooper on Magic's defensive impact
The 1980s Lakers were loaded with defensive talent. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the league in blocks on four occasions, Cooper won the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year, Byron Scott was a great perimeter defender and so was Jamaal Walkies, who earned two All-defensive Team selections.
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Johnson, for all his greatness, was never on their level — or that's how most fans feel about him.
But Coop explained that while the legendary point guard was never a lockdown defender, head coach Pat Riley turned him into a key piece of the Lakers team defense.
"Magic was okay one-on-one, but he wasn't going to stop you if you give him a couple of shakes. But this was the uniqueness and creativity brilliance of Pat Riley — we'll put Magic on just an average player… in the NBA in the '80s, championships were won from the inside-out. You always had the get the ball inside, the ball had to touch the paint," Cooper explained on his podcast.
"For us, Magic was the greatest team defensive player, because he was 6'9", he was long, big, was strong too, he had quick hands. So, Magic was the best double team. He was always like, 'Hey, C, force it this way, I'll be there with you.'... Magic was never ever, never-ever, not there," he added.
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Magic Johnson was no defensive slouch
People expected Magic to dominate both ends of the floor, especially during an era of rugged physicality. But Riley was well aware of his deficiencies—switching wasn't as used as it is today, so he had trouble keeping up with smaller, quicker point guards. That's why he made sure his superstar found his place in the team's defensive context, offering help defense, making smart reads and using his high basketball IQ to break plays before they developed.
Today's defensive schemes are much more nuanced. That's why teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, despite Giannis Antetokounmpo being their best defender, often don't put him on the opposing team's best player, allowing him to control the weak side, help and contest shots in the paint. The same goes for Gregg Popovich and Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
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Riley knew that when very few did.
So, while some might call out Cooper for his bias when praising Johnson's impact on the Lakers' defensive end — the two won five championships together — this might help change the perception of the legendary point guard being a liability on that end of the floor.
Related: "Earvin and I came in the league in 1980 and the league wasn't really healthy" - Larry Bird on why he and Magic Johnson will always be in a different category
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.