Magic Johnson vs. Pat Riley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Pat Riley 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.

Pat Riley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96
Pat Riley: 1967-68 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Magic Johnson 5 Pat Riley 1

NBA Seasons Magic Johnson 13 Pat Riley 9

Playoffs Played Magic Johnson 13 Pat Riley 6

All-Star Games Magic Johnson 12 Pat Riley 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Magic Johnson 3 Pat Riley 0

Finals MVP Magic Johnson 3 Pat Riley 0 *

All-NBA First Team Magic Johnson 9 Pat Riley 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 10 Pat Riley 0

Assists Leader Magic Johnson 4 Pat Riley 0

Steals Leader Magic Johnson 2 Pat Riley 0 *

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Pat Riley 7.4

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.2 Pat Riley 1.6

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 11.2 Pat Riley 1.7

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Pat Riley 0.6 *

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.4 Pat Riley 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 17,707 Pat Riley 3,906

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 6,559 Pat Riley 855

Total Assists Magic Johnson 10,141 Pat Riley 913

Total Steals Magic Johnson 1,724 Pat Riley 112 *

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 374 Pat Riley 13 *

Total Games Magic Johnson 906 Pat Riley 528

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .520 Pat Riley .414

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .303 Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .848 Pat Riley .705

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987) Pat Riley 11.0 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982) Pat Riley 2.2 (1968)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984) Pat Riley 2.6 (1975)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981) Pat Riley 0.8 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984) Pat Riley 0.1 (1976) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Pat Riley 5.7

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.7 Pat Riley 1.5

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 12.3 Pat Riley 1.2

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Pat Riley 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.3 Pat Riley 0.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 3,701 Pat Riley 251

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 1,465 Pat Riley 66

Total Assists Magic Johnson 2,346 Pat Riley 52

Total Steals Magic Johnson 358 Pat Riley 4 *

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 64 Pat Riley 0 *

Total Games Magic Johnson 190 Pat Riley 44

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .506 Pat Riley .374

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .241 Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .838 Pat Riley .763

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990) Pat Riley 9.4 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981) Pat Riley 2.2 (1969)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985) Pat Riley 2.0 (1974)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980) Pat Riley 0.8 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981) Pat Riley 0.0 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.