Magic Johnson vs. Karl Malone Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Karl Malone 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.

Karl Malone

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Magic Johnson 5 Karl Malone 0

NBA Seasons Magic Johnson 13 Karl Malone 19

Playoffs Played Magic Johnson 13 Karl Malone 19

All-Star Games Magic Johnson 12 Karl Malone 14

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Magic Johnson 3 Karl Malone 2

Finals MVP Magic Johnson 3 Karl Malone 0

All-NBA First Team Magic Johnson 9 Karl Malone 11

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 10 Karl Malone 14

All-Defensive 1st Team Magic Johnson 0 Karl Malone 3

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 0 Karl Malone 4

Assists Leader Magic Johnson 4 Karl Malone 0

Steals Leader Magic Johnson 2 Karl Malone 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Karl Malone 25.0

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.2 Karl Malone 10.1

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 11.2 Karl Malone 3.6

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Karl Malone 1.4

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.4 Karl Malone 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 17,707 Karl Malone 36,928

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 6,559 Karl Malone 14,968

Total Assists Magic Johnson 10,141 Karl Malone 5,248

Total Steals Magic Johnson 1,724 Karl Malone 2,085

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 374 Karl Malone 1,145

Total Games Magic Johnson 906 Karl Malone 1,476

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .520 Karl Malone .516

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .303 Karl Malone .274

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .848 Karl Malone .742

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987) Karl Malone 31.0 (1990)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982) Karl Malone 12.0 (1988)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984) Karl Malone 4.7 (2003)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981) Karl Malone 1.9 (2002)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984) Karl Malone 1.5 (1994)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Karl Malone 24.7

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.7 Karl Malone 10.7

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 12.3 Karl Malone 3.2

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Karl Malone 1.3

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.3 Karl Malone 0.7

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 3,701 Karl Malone 4,761

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 1,465 Karl Malone 2,062

Total Assists Magic Johnson 2,346 Karl Malone 610

Total Steals Magic Johnson 358 Karl Malone 258

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 64 Karl Malone 135

Total Games Magic Johnson 190 Karl Malone 193

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .506 Karl Malone .463

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .241 Karl Malone .162

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .838 Karl Malone .736

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990) Karl Malone 30.7 (1989)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981) Karl Malone 16.3 (1989)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985) Karl Malone 4.7 (1999)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980) Karl Malone 2.2 (1990)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981) Karl Malone 1.2 (1991)