Magic Johnson vs. John Salley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars John Salley 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.

John Salley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96
John Salley: 1986-87 to 1999-00

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Magic Johnson 5 John Salley 4

NBA Seasons Magic Johnson 13 John Salley 11

Playoffs Played Magic Johnson 13 John Salley 9

All-Star Games Magic Johnson 12 John Salley 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Magic Johnson 3 John Salley 0

Finals MVP Magic Johnson 3 John Salley 0

All-NBA First Team Magic Johnson 9 John Salley 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 10 John Salley 0

Assists Leader Magic Johnson 4 John Salley 0

Steals Leader Magic Johnson 2 John Salley 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 John Salley 7.0

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.2 John Salley 4.5

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 11.2 John Salley 1.2

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 John Salley 0.6

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.4 John Salley 1.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 17,707 John Salley 5,228

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 6,559 John Salley 3,356

Total Assists Magic Johnson 10,141 John Salley 916

Total Steals Magic Johnson 1,724 John Salley 451

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 374 John Salley 983

Total Games Magic Johnson 906 John Salley 748

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .520 John Salley .506

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .303 John Salley .214

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .848 John Salley .714

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987) John Salley 9.5 (1992)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982) John Salley 6.1 (1993)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984) John Salley 1.8 (1994)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981) John Salley 0.7 (1994)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984) John Salley 1.9 (1990)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 John Salley 6.4

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.7 John Salley 4.4

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 12.3 John Salley 0.8

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 John Salley 0.4

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.3 John Salley 1.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 3,701 John Salley 857

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 1,465 John Salley 588

Total Assists Magic Johnson 2,346 John Salley 104

Total Steals Magic Johnson 358 John Salley 49

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 64 John Salley 159

Total Games Magic Johnson 190 John Salley 134

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .506 John Salley .505

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .241 John Salley .000

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .838 John Salley .690

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990) John Salley 12.6 (1992)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981) John Salley 8.0 (1994)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985) John Salley 2.8 (1992)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980) John Salley 0.7 (1988)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981) John Salley 2.8 (1992)