Magic Johnson: Kobe is 'closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan'

As the world adjusts to the reality that Kobe Bryant will finally hang up his sneakers at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, one particular NBA icon is pleased to see his successor going out on his own terms.

"I'm happy for him because he said he feels this is his time to go out," said Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. "He's going out the way he wants to go out."

Bryant, whose career spans two decades - all in purple and gold - announced on Sunday that this season will be his last.

Related: Kobe addresses retirement: 'Had to accept that I don't want to do this anymore'

A Laker great in his own right, Johnson will likely not run out of superlatives to describe Bryant for the remainder of the season and beyond.

In fact, the man who led the "Shotwime" Lakers to a handful of NBA titles when Bryant was just a preteen wowing dozens in gyms across Italy wasted no time in letting everyone know how highly he regards his fellow five-time champ.

"You couldn't stop him," Johnson said of Bryant. "His will to win was incredible and he stayed in the gym like no other. This guy was 24/7 basketball."

"He'll probably go down as the second greatest scoring guard," Johnson continued.

"He's the closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan."

This comparison is not nearly as ludicrous as the countless other Jordan-whomever (insert flavor of the month here) parallels drawn on a yearly basis. Instead, Johnson's sentiment here is far more justifiable.

Johnson is not alone in thinking Bryant is worthy of correlations to His Airness, and this debate will likely rage on for years to come.

For now, however, basketball fans will be treated to at least five more months of Mamba.