Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Magic Johnson

4of 9 lines

5of 9 lines

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson compared on their NBA careers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 14 seasons, 1975-76 to 1988-89, Magic Johnson 13 seasons, 1979-80 to 1995-96. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points a game to Magic Johnson's 19.5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won 5 titles, Magic Johnson won 5 titles.

Who has the better career numbers?

Magic Johnson leads in 5 of the 9 lines, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 4. Bold marks the better figure; playing time — games, minutes, at-bats, innings — is not scored.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson career per game

1,560	GP	906
36.8	MIN	36.7
24.6, better	PTS	19.5
7.9, better	REB	7.2
3.6	AST	11.2, better
0.7	STL	1.9, better
2, better	BLK	0.4
55.9, better	FG%	52
5.6	3P%	30.3, better
72.1	FT%	84.8, better
59.2	TS%	61, better

Career totals

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson career totals

38,387, better	PTS	17,707
12,369, better	REB	6,559
5,660	AST	10,141, better
1,160	STL	1,724, better
3,189, better	BLK	374
55.9, better	FG%	52
5.6	3P%	30.3, better
72.1	FT%	84.8, better
59.2	TS%	61, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson postseason

237	GP	190
37.3	MIN	39.7
24.3, better	PTS	19.5
7.5	REB	7.7, better
3.2	AST	12.3, better
0.8	STL	1.9, better
2, better	BLK	0.3
53.3, better	FG%	50.6
0	3P%	24.1, better
74	FT%	83.8, better
57.1	TS%	59.5, better

Where each stands all time

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson all-time places

2nd (38,387), better	Points	90th (17,707)
12th (12,369), better	Rebounds	127th (6,559)
49th (5,660)	Assists	8th (10,141), better
105th (1,160)	Steals	26th (1,724), better
3rd (3,189), better	Blocks	—

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

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson titles and awards

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

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson season by season

1st	1975-76	27.7, better	16.9, better	5.0	1979-80	18.0	7.7	7.3, better
2nd	1976-77	26.2, better	13.3, better	3.9	1980-81	21.6	8.6	8.6, better
3rd	1977-78	25.8, better	12.9, better	4.3	1981-82	18.6	9.6	9.5, better
4th	1978-79	23.8, better	12.8, better	5.4	1982-83	16.8	8.6	10.5, better
5th	1979-80	24.8, better	10.8, better	4.5	1983-84	17.6	7.3	13.1, better
6th	1980-81	26.2, better	10.3, better	3.4	1984-85	18.3	6.2	12.6, better
7th	1981-82	23.9, better	8.7, better	3.0	1985-86	18.8	5.9	12.6, better
8th	1982-83	21.8	7.5, better	2.5	1986-87	23.9, better	6.3	12.2, better
9th	1983-84	21.5, better	7.3, better	2.6	1987-88	19.6	6.2	11.9, better
10th	1984-85	22.0	7.9	3.2	1988-89	22.5, better	7.9	12.8, better
11th	1985-86	23.4, better	6.1	3.5	1989-90	22.3	6.6, better	11.5, better
12th	1986-87	17.5	6.7	2.6	1990-91	19.4, better	7.0, better	12.5, better
13th	1987-88	14.6	6.0, better	1.7	1995-96	14.6	5.7	6.9, better
14th	1988-89	10.1	4.5	1.0	—	—	—	—

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST