LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson endorses LeBron James for the MVP award, while choosing Anthony Davis as the DPOY

The LA Lakers are not short on legendary players in franchise history.

Magic Johnson is right up there with the most successful of them, and many LA Lakers consider him to be their franchise GOAT. Not only did the 3-time MVP make 9 NBA Finals in 12 seasons with the LA Lakers, he also went on to be their head coach for a season.

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LeBron James is the MVP: LA Lakers' Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson was appointed by Jeanie Buss as the LA Lakers' Head of Basketball Operations in early 2017. This was a post he held for nearly 2 years before an unceremonious exit.

Magic, however, retains the same love for the LA Lakers that he had when popping champagne with his 5 championship-winning teams. His latest statements on the NBA awards reflect the same.

LeBron James is definitely the MVP this season. He is almost averaging a triple double with 25 points, 10 assists, and basically 8 rebounds per game. His defense has been amazing and there is no better leader in sports!

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 21, 2020

Magic's greatest achievement while with the LA Lakers' head office was recruiting LeBron James in the summer of 2018. It is more than understandable that he would get behind the #23 in his MVP campaign. LeBron James himself has not been shy to state his candidature.

Also see - Magic Johnson Net Worth

Magic also thinks Anthony Davis should be Defensive Player of the Year, while former LeBron James protege Brandon Ingram should be Most Improved Player.

The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant for Rookie of the Year...not even close. Defensive Player of the Year is the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. Coach of the Year is the Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram is Most Improved Player.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 21, 2020

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LeBron James in action vs Los Angeles Clippers

The love for the LA Lakers and players drafted by them is clear in Magic's opinions. But the facts of the matter are clear. Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has bettered his impact on both ends of the floor. Most media outlets are of the opinion that the 'Greek Freak' is the inevitable winner of both awards.

Brandon Ingram has better chances of winning MIP than LeBron James does of winning the MVP trophy, going by expert opinions on CBS and ESPN's takes. While LeBron James has enjoyed the best assist record for a season of his career this year, his scoring and rebounding averages have been better in years when he didn't win MVP.

Giannis's statline of 29.6 points, 13.7 points and 5.8 assists per game have come in a mere 30.9 minutes per game. Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner Dennis Schroder has featured in more minutes per game than the 'Greek Freak'. While LeBron James has led the LA Lakers to their first playoffs in 7 years, he's also had more help from the likes of Anthony Davis than Giannis had from his squad.

While Magic will hope that his LA Lakers players win these coveted end-of-season awards, the writing seems to already be on the wall.

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