Magic Johnson vs. Purvis Short Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Purvis Short 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.

Purvis Short

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Magic Johnson: 1979-80 to 1995-96
Purvis Short: 1978-79 to 1989-90

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Magic Johnson 5 Purvis Short 0

NBA Seasons Magic Johnson 13 Purvis Short 12

Playoffs Played Magic Johnson 13 Purvis Short 3

All-Star Games Magic Johnson 12 Purvis Short 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Magic Johnson 3 Purvis Short 0

Finals MVP Magic Johnson 3 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA First Team Magic Johnson 9 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Magic Johnson 10 Purvis Short 0

Assists Leader Magic Johnson 4 Purvis Short 0

Steals Leader Magic Johnson 2 Purvis Short 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Purvis Short 17.3

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.2 Purvis Short 4.3

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 11.2 Purvis Short 2.5

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Purvis Short 1.0

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.4 Purvis Short 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 17,707 Purvis Short 14,607

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 6,559 Purvis Short 3,625

Total Assists Magic Johnson 10,141 Purvis Short 2,123

Total Steals Magic Johnson 1,724 Purvis Short 878

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 374 Purvis Short 178

Total Games Magic Johnson 906 Purvis Short 842

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .520 Purvis Short .474

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .303 Purvis Short .282 *

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .848 Purvis Short .824

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 23.9 (1987) Purvis Short 28.0 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 9.6 (1982) Purvis Short 5.5 (1984)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 13.1 (1984) Purvis Short 3.7 (1986)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.4 (1981) Purvis Short 1.5 (1985)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.7 (1984) Purvis Short 0.3 (1985)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 19.5 Purvis Short 10.4

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 7.7 Purvis Short 2.8

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 12.3 Purvis Short 1.6

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 1.9 Purvis Short 0.7

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 0.3 Purvis Short 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Magic Johnson 3,701 Purvis Short 187

Total Rebounds Magic Johnson 1,465 Purvis Short 51

Total Assists Magic Johnson 2,346 Purvis Short 29

Total Steals Magic Johnson 358 Purvis Short 13

Total Blocks Magic Johnson 64 Purvis Short 2

Total Games Magic Johnson 190 Purvis Short 18

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Magic Johnson .506 Purvis Short .424

3-Point Percentage Magic Johnson .241 Purvis Short .000 *

Free Throw Percentage Magic Johnson .838 Purvis Short .878

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Magic Johnson 25.2 (1990) Purvis Short 14.6 (1987)

Rebounds Per Game Magic Johnson 13.7 (1981) Purvis Short 3.3 (1987)

Assists Per Game Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985) Purvis Short 2.7 (1987)

Steals Per Game Magic Johnson 3.1 (1980) Purvis Short 1.2 (1987)

Blocks Per Game Magic Johnson 1.0 (1981) Purvis Short 0.2 (1987)

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