Hoops Habit
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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images). /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Magic Johnson knew it, even though he had too much respect for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to say it. Everyone on the Los Angeles Lakers knew it, even the front office. Heck, even Abdul-Jabbar himself knew it. Once the Lakers selected Johnson with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers were officially his team.

Johnson may have been a rookie but he was selected to the All-Star team in his first year. More importantly, after Abdul-Jabbar went down in the NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson jumped at center and dropped a cool 42 points, grabbed 15 boards, and dished out seven assists.

The all-time leader in total points had plenty of great seasons with the Lakers. From 1980-1986, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 23.7 points per game and 8.3 rebounds a night. Great numbers overall, but Johnson was simply on another level, dishing out 10.6 assists, grabbing 7.7 boards, and scoring at a healthy clip of 18.5 a game. Abdul-Jabbar was the man for the vast majority of his career but once Magic arrived at the doorstep of the Lakers, no one could usurp him.