Magic Johnson lauds LeBron James, says he's 'playing as well as I've ever seen him play'

"Right now this season he's playing as well as I've ever seen him play," Johnson said of the 34-year-old superstar.
James is averaging 25 points and a league-leading 11.1 assists per game to start his 17th season in the league and second in Los Angeles.
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Even though Magic Johnson no longer holds a formal role with the Los Angeles Lakers, the legendary point guard still has a vested interest in his former franchise's ongoing success.

And with LeBron James at the helm, it's safe to say the purple and gold are in good hands.

lebron james Jae C. Hong/AP

At the 29th Annual Achilles Gala a celebration of disabled athletes through Cigna and Achilles International Johnson spoke about how impressed he's been with James' play as of late.

"Right now this season he's playing as well as I've ever seen him play," Johnson said of the 34-year-old superstar. "You know, LeBron can see the floor. He's a special player."

Fourteen games into his 17th season in the league and his second with the Lakers, James has averaged 25 points per night and a league-leading 11.1 assists per game. Should his passing prowess continue throughout the season, it would mark the first time in his acclaimed career that his average assists per game has hit double digits.

1996 03 13T120000Z_980164371_PBEAHUMTKAI_RTRMADP_3_BASKETBALL.JPG Sam Mircovich/Reuters

A 6-foot-9 point guard known best for his flashy dimes, Johnson himself averaged 11.2 assists per game in his 13 seasons in Los Angeles. In four of those years, Johnson led the league in assists, so he can appreciate as well as anyone James' transformation into the league's best distributor with the Lakers this season.

"He's scoring and putting up 25 points a night but also he's leading the league in assists," Johnson said. "Eleven assists he's just awesome. He's doing his thing."

With six-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis signing on with Los Angeles this offseason, James' squad has dominated the competition to the tune of an NBA-best 12-2 record on the season. And even though Johnson abruptly resigned his post as the franchise's president of basketball operations after the conclusion of last season, he's undoubtedly happy to see the new-look Lakers in peak form.

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