Carl Braun vs. Magic Johnson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Magic Johnson and Carl Braun, 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

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.

Carl Braun and Magic Johnson both played 13 years in the NBA. Carl Braun had the first of his seasons in 1947-48, 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
Carl Braun 13 8 1947-48 to 1961-62
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1947-481979-80
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost 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 %
Carl Braun 47 - 14.3 - - - 1.3 - - - 2.2 5.9 18.2 .323 - - - 2.5 3.9 .650
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 %
Carl Braun 3 - 10.0 - - - 0.7 - - - 2.0 4.0 13.7 .293 - - - 2.0 3.3 .600
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1948-491980-81
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Steals Leader
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div FinalsLakers 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 %
Carl Braun 57 - 14.2 - - - 3.0 - - - 2.5 5.2 15.9 .330 - - - 3.7 4.9 .760
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 %
Carl Braun 6 - 19.3 - - - 3.2 - - - 3.7 5.5 17.0 .324 - - - 8.3 10.3 .806
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1949-501981-82
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Steals Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div 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 %
Carl Braun 67 - 15.4 - - - 3.7 - - - 2.8 5.6 15.3 .364 - - - 4.3 5.6 .762
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 %
Carl Braun 5 - 17.0 - - - 3.8 - - - 4.2 5.6 13.6 .412 - - - 5.8 7.6 .763
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

Note: Carl Braun didn't play in 1950-51 and 1951-52.

Season 4

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1952-531982-83
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA 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 %
Carl Braun 70 33.1 14.0 - - 3.3 3.5 - - - 4.1 4.6 11.5 .400 - - - 4.7 5.7 .825
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 %
Carl Braun 11 34.0 13.5 - - 4.0 2.8 - - - 4.2 4.3 13.2 .324 - - - 4.9 6.1 .806
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1953-541983-84
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost E Div Round RobinLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Carl Braun 72 33.0 14.8 - - 3.4 2.9 - - - 3.6 4.9 12.3 .400 - - - 4.9 6.0 .825
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 %
Carl Braun 4 31.3 17.8 - - 3.0 2.3 - - - 5.5 4.5 13.0 .346 - - - 8.8 10.0 .875
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1954-551984-85
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div 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 %
Carl Braun 71 34.9 15.1 - - 4.2 3.9 - - - 2.9 5.6 14.5 .388 - - - 3.9 4.8 .801
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 %
Carl Braun 3 34.3 18.0 - - 4.7 5.3 - - - 3.7 6.0 14.7 .409 - - - 6.0 6.7 .900
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1955-561985-86
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers 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 %
Carl Braun 72 32.2 15.4 - - 3.6 4.1 - - - 3.0 5.5 14.8 .372 - - - 4.4 5.3 .838
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 %
Carl Braun ------- --- ----------
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1956-571986-87
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Carl Braun 72 32.6 13.9 - - 3.6 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.3 13.8 .381 - - - 3.4 4.2 .809
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 %
Carl Braun ------- --- ----------
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1957-581987-88
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Carl Braun 71 34.9 16.5 - - 4.6 5.5 - - - 2.6 6.0 14.3 .418 - - - 4.5 5.3 .849
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 %
Carl Braun ------- --- ----------
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1958-591988-89
Team New York KnicksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div 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 %
Carl Braun 72 27.2 10.5 - - 3.5 4.8 - - - 2.5 4.0 9.5 .420 - - - 2.5 3.0 .826
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 %
Carl Braun 2 31.0 16.0 - - 2.0 5.0 - - - 2.0 6.0 16.0 .375 - - - 4.0 4.5 .889
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1959-601989-90
Team New York KnicksLos 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 %
Carl Braun 54 28.0 12.9 - - 3.1 5.0 - - - 2.4 5.3 12.2 .432 - - - 2.4 2.9 .838
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 %
Carl Braun ------- --- ----------
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1960-611990-91
Team New York KnicksLos 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 %
Carl Braun 15 14.5 5.7 - - 2.1 3.2 - - - 1.9 2.5 5.3 .468 - - - 0.7 0.9 .786
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 %
Carl Braun ------- --- ----------
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

Carl Braun Magic Johnson
Season 1961-621995-96
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers 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 %
Carl Braun 48 8.6 3.7 - - 1.0 1.5 - - - 1.0 1.6 4.3 .377 - - - 0.4 0.6 .741
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 %
Carl Braun 6 7.0 4.2 - - 1.2 0.3 - - - 0.5 1.8 4.7 .393 - - - 0.5 0.7 .750
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