Basketball great Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson has come out with some extraordinary praise for rising college star, Australia’s Ben Simmons, comparing him to Lebron James.

Simmons, who plays for Louisiana State University (LSU), is widely expected to be the number one draft pick in the NBA in June.

The 2.08m, 19-year-old forward has been compared to LA Lakers legend Johnson due to his remarkable array of skills for a big man.

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This season, Simmons has averaged 20.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game for LSU in his debut season in college basketball.

Johnson dished out some huge praise for the Melbourne-born prodigy on Twitter on Wednesday (AEDT).

“LSU’s Ben Simmons is the best all around player I’ve seen since LeBron James came out of high school straight to the NBA,” he tweeted.

“Whatever team selects Ben Simmons, will be getting a player that will have an immediate impact on their squad!”

Simmons was born in Fitzroy to an Australian mother and American father. His family moved to Newcastle when he was 18 months old, which is where he began playing basketball at the age of seven.

After a return to Melbourne and a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport, Simmons moved to the US to pursue his promising career in 2013.