Magic Johnson vs. Earl Tatum Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Tatum and Magic Johnson 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

Magic Johnson

vs.

Earl Tatum

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96
Earl Tatum: 1976-77 to 1979-80

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Magic Johnson 5 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Seasons Magic Johnson 13 Earl Tatum 4

Playoffs Played Magic Johnson 13 Earl Tatum 1

All-Star Games Magic Johnson 12 Earl Tatum 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Magic Johnson 3 Earl Tatum 0

Finals MVP Magic Johnson 3 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA First Team Magic Johnson 9 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 10 Earl Tatum 0

Assists Leader Magic Johnson 4 Earl Tatum 0

Steals Leader Magic Johnson 2 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Earl Tatum 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.2 Earl Tatum 2.6

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 11.2 Earl Tatum 1.9

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Earl Tatum 1.2

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.4 Earl Tatum 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 17,707 Earl Tatum 2,508

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 6,559 Earl Tatum 682

Total Assists Magic Johnson 10,141 Earl Tatum 507

Total Steals Magic Johnson 1,724 Earl Tatum 319

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 374 Earl Tatum 101

Total Games Magic Johnson 906 Earl Tatum 262

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .520 Earl Tatum .459

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .303 Earl Tatum .333 *

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .848 Earl Tatum .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987) Earl Tatum 14.3 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981) Earl Tatum 1.7 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984) Earl Tatum 0.5 (1978)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Earl Tatum 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.7 Earl Tatum 4.9

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 12.3 Earl Tatum 2.5

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Earl Tatum 1.4

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.3 Earl Tatum 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 3,701 Earl Tatum 150

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 1,465 Earl Tatum 54

Total Assists Magic Johnson 2,346 Earl Tatum 27

Total Steals Magic Johnson 358 Earl Tatum 15

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 64 Earl Tatum 9

Total Games Magic Johnson 190 Earl Tatum 11

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .506 Earl Tatum .500

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .241 Earl Tatum - *

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .838 Earl Tatum .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990) Earl Tatum 13.6 (1977)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981) Earl Tatum 4.9 (1977)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985) Earl Tatum 2.5 (1977)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980) Earl Tatum 1.4 (1977)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981) Earl Tatum 0.8 (1977)

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.