Being a Los Angeles Lakers legend himself, it’s doesn’t come as a surprise that Magic Johnson thinks very highly of Kobe Bryant. Since his early days in the league, the team’s current president of basketball operations has always been a fan, and gave his support to him.

With the recent news about Bryant’s two jersey numbers set to be retired by the franchise, Johnson said that he truly deserves the honor. He even added, via NBA.com, that he considers the 39-year-old as one of the league’s all time greats, and would even include him in his Mount Rushmore of players.

“This honor is very well deserved. Kobe was one of the greatest Lakers and NBA players of all-time and he’s definitely on my Mount Rushmore. I look forward to seeing BOTH of his jerseys be retired and celebrating this special day with Kobe and his family.”

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Bryant retired at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, after a stellar 20-year professional career. He has won almost all awards the NBA has to offer, including the regular season and Finals MVP, and five championships. He is also ranked third in the all-time scoring list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.

Playing shooting guard throughout his entire pro career, it is debatable if Bryant deserves to be ranked as the best player of that position, knowing that Michael Jordan is widely considered the GOAT. However, Johnson did not name the four others who are on his list, and it could also be that he chose them regardless of the position they play, but overall greatness. There’s also no denying The Black Mamba’s talent, as he established himself as one of the best scorers ever, which makes it very hard to question Johnson’s claim as well.