Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Larry Bird

vs.

Magic Johnson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2024-25
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Magic Johnson 5

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Magic Johnson 13

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Magic Johnson 13

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Magic Johnson 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Magic Johnson 3

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Magic Johnson 3

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Magic Johnson 9

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Magic Johnson 10

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Magic Johnson 0

Assists Leader Larry Bird 0 Magic Johnson 4

Steals Leader Larry Bird 0 Magic Johnson 2

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Magic Johnson 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Magic Johnson 19.5

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Magic Johnson 7.2

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Magic Johnson 11.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Magic Johnson 1.9

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Magic Johnson 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Magic Johnson 17,707

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Magic Johnson 6,559

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Magic Johnson 10,141

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Magic Johnson 1,724

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Magic Johnson 374

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Magic Johnson 906

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Magic Johnson .520

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Magic Johnson .303

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Magic Johnson .848

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Magic Johnson 19.5

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Magic Johnson 7.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Magic Johnson 12.3

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Magic Johnson 1.9

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Magic Johnson 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Magic Johnson 3,701

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Magic Johnson 1,465

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Magic Johnson 2,346

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Magic Johnson 358

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Magic Johnson 64

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Magic Johnson 190

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Magic Johnson .506

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Magic Johnson .241

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Magic Johnson .838

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981)