Back In The Day NBA

NBA Hall Of Famer Honored By White House, President Biden

Shandel Richardson

Nov 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Magic Johnson attends the 2024 NWSL Championship match at CPKC Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Magic Johnson attends the 2024 NWSL Championship match at CPKC Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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NBA great Magic Johnson was among 10 recipients of Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.

Johnson joined a list that included the likes of actor actor Denzel Washington. Johnson was honored for raising awareness of HIV and as a business owner.

“Under the same bright lights, his honesty about his HIV status shattered stigma and saved lives,” said the White House. “The first retired athlete to build a true business empire, he champions underserved communities. With a legendary will and smile, Magic Johnson rose from the playground in Lansing, Michigan to become one of the most beloved athletes of our time.”

LONGTIME WRITER LEAVES KOBE OUTSIDE TOP FIVE

NBA great Kobe Bryant has all the credentials to deserve mention among the all-time greats.

But longtime league beat reporter Rob Parker feels Bryant doesn't deserve a spot in the Top Five. He says Bryant's chances were hurt by playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal when they won three straight titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Kobe's not in the Top Five either," Parker said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club Show. "You know why? But the only problem is, even on his team when he was Shaq, Shaq was the most dominant player in the league, not Kobe."

In Bryant's defense, he did win two championships without O'Neal. Parker downplayed this because the Lakers added Pau Gasol when they won titles in 2009 and 2010.

"He didn't win two immediately," Parker said. "He had to go get Pau Gasol. Remember when he was with Smush Parker? I don't think he was winning back then, was he?

For the record, Parker chose Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Bill Russell as his top five.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com