Magic Johnson vs. Michael Jordan: Who Has Done More for the Game of Basketball?

Former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson and former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan are the two players I hear discussed most often when it comes to the NBA's greatest players of all time. But what the two stars accomplished off the court may be just as important as what they did on it.

When the Lakers selected Johnson with the first pick of the 1979 draft, his charismatic personality and infectious smile was just what the NBA needed at the time.

Before Magic entered the league there was an overwhelming perception that the NBA had become an entity where mostly hoodlums resided, and the highly visible instances of rampant drug use and occasional violence did nothing to help the league's reputation.

Most of the game's paying fanbase had grown disenchanted with the league, but Magic had an endearing quality that allowed him to relate to most fans, and of course he had the once-in-a-generation type of game to back it up.

Magic, with some help from Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, helped revive the NBA product, but more importantly the NBA's all-time greatest point guard helped restore integrity to an institution that many people felt was populated by criminals.

Jordan may not have saved the game like Magic did in the 80's, but he is certainly responsible for the marketing revolution which swept through the league during his reign and continues to resonate today.

Ever wonder why the Nike brand is the world's top selling sneaker, or how they have the audacity to charge more than $100 for basketball shoes?

You can thank Jordan for that. Besides being the first person who could get broke people to shell out hundreds of dollars for shoes, Jordan is also mostly responsible for turning the NBA into a global brand.

Those famous Gatorade, Nike and McDonald's commercials, along with skills never before seen, helped turn Jordan into an international marketing dream, and it also increased the world's interest in a sport that was considered America's own.

Jordan's influence is the reason that today's stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are able to exert control over multiple aspects of their careers outside of basketball, and be extremely successful while doing it.

"His Airness" was the first player who was able to use his transcendent talent as a leveraging ploy against owners, and Jordan's $30 million, one-year contract was the first of its kind in the NBA.

But it certainly wasn't the last.

Most recently Bryant followed Jordan's lead by signing a three-year, $90 million contract with the Lakers, and players who are nowhere near the player that Jordan was regularly cash in with sums of money that were unthinkable pre-Jordan.

Therein lies the problem.

Credit Johnson with renewing interest in a dying product and also credit Jordan for affording players the opportunity to earn unimaginable amounts of money, but you must also credit each player with the state of the game today.

Magic helped boost the NBA to the levels of popularity it enjoys right now, and that popularity combined with Jordan's assault on mass marketing has contributed to the current woes the league is suffering from.

Interest in the NBA has never been higher, and the interest has led to ridiculous television contracts and skyrocketing player salaries, which are the basic elements surrounding the NBA's work stoppage.

The NBA last year, hauled in record profits, but a number of franchises still managed to post deficits due mostly to rising player salaries and the restrictions of a small media market.

The players and owners have recognized that to continue along the same path could eventually lead to the death of the NBA as we know it, but of course neither side can agree on how a conclusion can be reached.

I consider myself to be a fan of most sports but my passion for basketball is unrivaled and in that vein I wholly applaud Magic and Jordan for elevating our game to the heights it enjoys today.

However, it's equally hard for me to ignore the culture Jordan and Magic's impact has indirectly fostered, and that thought is a reason to fear how the game will evolve next, especially considering the current atmosphere.