Bill Russell vs Magic Johnson

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9of 9 lines

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson compared on their NBA careers: Bill Russell played 13 seasons, 1956-57 to 1968-69, Magic Johnson 13 seasons, 1979-80 to 1995-96. Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points a game to Magic Johnson's 19.5. Bill Russell won 11 titles, Magic Johnson won 5 titles.

Who has the better career numbers?

Magic Johnson leads in 9 of the 9 lines, Bill Russell in 0. Bold marks the better figure; playing time — games, minutes, at-bats, innings — is not scored.

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson career per game

963	GP	906
42.3	MIN	36.7
15.1	PTS	19.5, better
0	REB	7.2, better
4.3	AST	11.2, better
0	STL	1.9, better
0	BLK	0.4, better
44	FG%	52, better
0	3P%	30.3, better
56.1	FT%	84.8, better
47.1	TS%	61, better

Career totals

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson career totals

14,522	PTS	17,707, better
0	REB	6,559, better
4,100	AST	10,141, better
0	STL	1,724, better
0	BLK	374, better
44	FG%	52, better
0	3P%	30.3, better
56.1	FT%	84.8, better
47.1	TS%	61, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson postseason

165	GP	190
45.4	MIN	39.7
16.2	PTS	19.5, better
0	REB	7.7, better
4.7	AST	12.3, better
0	STL	1.9, better
0	BLK	0.3, better
43	FG%	50.6, better
0	3P%	24.1, better
60.3	FT%	83.8, better
47.4	TS%	59.5, better

Where each stands all time

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson all-time places

173rd (14,522)	Points	90th (17,707), better
119th (4,100)	Assists	8th (10,141), better
—	Rebounds	127th (6,559), better
—	Steals	26th (1,724), better

Among the NBA players with a career line on file, regular season, counting stats only — the same lists the records pages run on.

Titles and awards

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson titles and awards

11, better	Championships	5
8, better	All-NBA Second Team	1
5, better	MVP	3
3	All-NBA First Team	9, better
1	All-Star MVP	2, better
1, better	All-Defensive First Team	—
—	Finals MVP	3, better
—	All-Rookie First Team	1, better

Awards come from the league’s published winner lists; a championship counts a season played for the club that won it.

Season by season

Lined up by career year, not by calendar: each row is the players’ nth season.

Bill Russell and Magic Johnson season by season

1st	1956-57	14.7	1.8	1979-80	18.0, better	7.7, better	7.3, better
2nd	1957-58	16.6	2.9	1980-81	21.6, better	8.6, better	8.6, better
3rd	1958-59	16.7	3.2	1981-82	18.6, better	9.6, better	9.5, better
4th	1959-60	18.2, better	3.7	1982-83	16.8	8.6, better	10.5, better
5th	1960-61	16.9	3.4	1983-84	17.6, better	7.3, better	13.1, better
6th	1961-62	18.9, better	4.5	1984-85	18.3	6.2, better	12.6, better
7th	1962-63	16.8	4.5	1985-86	18.8, better	5.9, better	12.6, better
8th	1963-64	15.0	4.7	1986-87	23.9, better	6.3, better	12.2, better
9th	1964-65	14.1	5.3	1987-88	19.6, better	6.2, better	11.9, better
10th	1965-66	12.9	4.8	1988-89	22.5, better	7.9, better	12.8, better
11th	1966-67	13.3	5.8	1989-90	22.3, better	6.6, better	11.5, better
12th	1967-68	12.5	4.6	1990-91	19.4, better	7.0, better	12.5, better
13th	1968-69	9.9	4.9	1995-96	14.6, better	5.7, better	6.9, better

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST