Alvan Adams vs. Magic Johnson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Magic Johnson and Alvan Adams, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Alvan Adams and Magic Johnson both played 13 years in the NBA. Alvan Adams had the first of his seasons in 1975-76, while Magic Johnson had his rookie season in 1979-80. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Alvan Adams 13 9 1975-76 to 1987-88
Magic Johnson 13 13 1979-80 to 1995-96

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1975-761979-80
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 80 33.2 19.0 2.7 6.4 9.1 5.6 1.5 1.5 - 3.4 7.9 16.8 .469 - - - 3.3 4.4 .735
Magic Johnson 77 36.3 18.0 2.2 5.6 7.7 7.3 2.4 0.5 4.0 2.8 6.5 12.3 .530 0.1 0.4 .226 4.9 6.0 .810
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 19 35.2 17.9 2.8 7.2 10.1 5.2 1.3 1.1 - 3.2 7.2 15.9 .452 - - - 3.5 4.3 .817
Magic Johnson 16 41.1 18.3 3.3 7.3 10.5 9.4 3.1 0.4 4.1 2.9 6.4 12.4 .518 0.1 0.5 .250 5.3 6.6 .802

Season 2

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1976-771980-81
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Steals Leader
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 72 31.6 18.0 2.5 6.6 9.1 4.5 1.3 1.2 - 3.6 7.3 15.3 .474 - - - 3.5 4.6 .754
Magic Johnson 37 37.1 21.6 2.7 5.9 8.6 8.6 3.4 0.7 3.9 2.7 8.4 15.9 .532 0.1 0.5 .176 4.6 6.1 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
Magic Johnson 3 42.3 17.0 2.7 11.0 13.7 7.0 2.7 1.0 3.7 4.7 6.3 16.3 .388 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 6.7 .650

Season 3

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1977-781981-82
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Steals Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 70 27.3 15.5 2.3 5.8 8.1 3.2 1.2 0.9 3.3 3.5 6.2 12.8 .485 - - - 3.1 4.2 .730
Magic Johnson 78 38.3 18.6 3.2 6.4 9.6 9.5 2.7 0.4 3.7 2.9 7.1 13.3 .537 0.1 0.4 .207 4.2 5.6 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 2 35.5 16.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 2.0 1.0 0.5 4.5 4.0 7.5 16.5 .455 - - - 1.0 1.0 1.000
Magic Johnson 14 40.1 17.4 3.9 7.4 11.3 9.3 2.9 0.2 3.1 3.6 5.9 11.2 .529 0.0 0.3 .000 5.5 6.6 .828

Season 4

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1978-791982-83
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf FinalsLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 77 30.7 17.8 2.9 6.3 9.2 4.7 1.4 0.8 3.6 3.2 7.4 13.9 .530 - - - 3.0 3.8 .799
Magic Johnson 79 36.8 16.8 2.7 5.9 8.6 10.5 2.2 0.6 3.8 2.5 6.5 11.8 .548 0.0 0.3 .000 3.8 4.8 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 12 31.0 12.8 2.1 5.4 7.5 4.4 0.9 1.0 3.0 3.4 5.5 11.6 .475 - - - 1.8 2.6 .710
Magic Johnson 15 42.9 17.9 3.4 5.1 8.5 12.8 2.3 0.8 4.3 3.3 6.7 13.7 .485 0.0 0.7 .000 4.5 5.4 .840

Season 5

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1979-801983-84
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 75 28.9 14.9 2.1 6.0 8.1 4.3 1.4 0.7 2.9 3.2 6.2 11.7 .531 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.1 .797
Magic Johnson 67 38.3 17.6 1.5 5.9 7.3 13.1 2.2 0.7 4.6 2.5 6.6 11.6 .565 0.1 0.4 .207 4.3 5.3 .810
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 8 31.4 16.1 2.3 7.4 9.6 5.8 0.9 1.3 3.0 3.0 7.0 12.4 .566 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 2.4 .895
Magic Johnson 21 39.9 18.2 1.2 5.4 6.6 13.5 2.0 1.0 3.8 3.4 7.2 13.0 .551 0.0 0.3 .000 3.8 4.8 .800

Season 6

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1980-811984-85
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 75 27.4 14.9 2.1 5.2 7.3 4.6 1.4 0.9 3.0 3.0 6.1 11.6 .526 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 3.5 .768
Magic Johnson 77 36.1 18.3 1.2 5.0 6.2 12.6 1.5 0.3 4.0 2.0 6.5 11.7 .561 0.1 0.5 .189 5.1 6.0 .843
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 7 31.1 10.6 1.6 4.3 5.9 3.7 0.6 0.1 2.7 2.9 3.9 8.6 .450 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 4.0 .714
Magic Johnson 19 36.2 17.5 1.0 6.1 7.1 15.2 1.7 0.2 4.0 2.5 6.1 11.9 .513 0.1 0.4 .143 5.3 6.2 .847

Season 7

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1981-821985-86
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 79 30.3 15.1 1.7 5.7 7.4 4.5 1.4 1.0 2.5 3.4 6.4 13.0 .494 0.0 0.0 .000 2.3 2.9 .781
Magic Johnson 72 35.8 18.8 1.2 4.7 5.9 12.6 1.6 0.2 3.8 1.8 6.7 12.8 .526 0.1 0.6 .233 5.3 6.0 .871
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 7 33.3 16.9 2.7 4.6 7.3 3.7 2.0 1.4 3.0 3.1 6.9 13.1 .522 0.0 0.0 - 3.1 4.0 .786
Magic Johnson 14 38.6 21.6 1.5 5.6 7.1 15.1 1.9 0.1 3.2 3.1 7.9 14.6 .537 0.0 0.8 .000 5.9 7.6 .766

Season 8

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1982-831986-87
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 80 30.6 14.2 2.0 4.8 6.9 4.7 1.4 0.9 3.0 3.6 6.0 12.3 .486 0.0 0.0 .333 2.3 2.7 .829
Magic Johnson 80 36.3 23.9 1.5 4.8 6.3 12.2 1.7 0.5 3.8 2.1 8.5 16.4 .522 0.1 0.5 .205 6.7 7.9 .848
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 3 28.0 11.7 1.0 5.0 6.0 4.7 0.7 1.7 1.7 5.0 5.0 10.7 .469 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.3 .714
Magic Johnson 18 37.0 21.8 1.6 6.2 7.7 12.2 1.7 0.4 2.8 2.1 8.1 15.1 .539 0.1 0.6 .200 5.4 6.6 .831

Season 9

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1983-841987-88
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 70 20.7 9.6 1.7 2.9 4.6 3.1 1.0 0.4 1.7 2.8 3.8 8.3 .462 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.3 .825
Magic Johnson 72 36.6 19.6 1.2 5.0 6.2 11.9 1.6 0.2 3.7 2.0 6.8 13.8 .492 0.2 0.8 .196 5.8 6.8 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 17 18.4 8.4 1.6 3.5 5.1 2.5 1.0 0.6 2.0 3.1 3.1 7.4 .421 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 3.1 .679
Magic Johnson 24 40.2 19.9 1.3 4.1 5.4 12.6 1.4 0.2 3.5 2.5 7.0 13.7 .514 0.3 0.6 .500 5.5 6.5 .852

Season 10

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1984-851988-89
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 82 26.0 14.7 1.9 4.2 6.1 3.8 1.4 0.6 2.4 3.1 5.8 11.2 .520 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.5 .883
Magic Johnson 77 37.5 22.5 1.4 6.4 7.9 12.8 1.8 0.3 4.1 2.2 7.5 14.8 .509 0.8 2.4 .314 6.7 7.3 .911
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 3 26.3 17.0 1.3 4.3 5.7 3.7 2.3 0.3 2.0 2.7 7.7 15.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.0 .833
Magic Johnson 14 37.0 18.4 1.1 4.9 5.9 11.8 1.9 0.2 3.8 2.1 6.1 12.4 .489 0.7 2.5 .286 5.6 6.1 .907

Season 11

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1985-861989-90
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 78 25.7 10.8 1.9 4.2 6.1 4.2 1.3 0.6 2.6 3.5 4.4 8.7 .502 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.6 .783
Magic Johnson 79 37.2 22.3 1.6 5.0 6.6 11.5 1.7 0.4 3.7 2.1 6.9 14.4 .480 1.3 3.5 .384 7.2 8.1 .890
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
Magic Johnson 9 41.8 25.2 1.3 5.0 6.3 12.8 1.2 0.1 4.0 3.1 8.4 17.2 .490 0.6 2.8 .200 7.8 8.8 .886

Season 12

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1986-871990-91
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 68 24.9 11.1 1.3 3.6 5.0 3.3 0.9 0.5 2.0 3.0 4.6 9.1 .503 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.5 .788
Magic Johnson 79 37.1 19.4 1.3 5.6 7.0 12.5 1.3 0.2 4.0 1.9 5.9 12.4 .477 1.0 3.2 .320 6.6 7.3 .906
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
Magic Johnson 19 43.3 21.8 1.2 6.9 8.1 12.6 1.2 0.0 4.1 2.3 6.2 14.1 .440 1.1 3.7 .296 8.3 9.4 .882

Note: Magic Johnson didn't play in 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95.

Season 13

Alvan Adams Magic Johnson
Season 1987-881995-96
Team Phoenix SunsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 82 20.1 7.5 1.4 3.0 4.5 2.2 1.0 0.5 1.7 3.0 3.1 6.2 .496 0.0 0.0 .500 1.3 1.6 .844
Magic Johnson 32 29.9 14.6 1.3 4.5 5.7 6.9 0.8 0.4 3.2 1.5 4.3 9.2 .466 0.7 1.8 .379 5.4 6.3 .856
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
Magic Johnson 4 33.8 15.3 2.0 6.5 8.5 6.5 0.0 0.0 3.0 0.8 3.8 9.8 .385 0.8 2.3 .333 7.0 8.3 .848