George Gervin vs. Marques Johnson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Marques Johnson and George Gervin, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

George Gervin played 10 years in the NBA, 1 less than Marques Johnson, who played 11. George Gervin had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Marques Johnson had his rookie season in 1977-78. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
George Gervin 10 9 1976-77 to 1985-86
Marques Johnson 11 6 1977-78 to 1989-90

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11

Rookie Season

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1976-771977-78
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf 1st RdBucks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 82 33.0 23.1 1.6 3.9 5.5 2.9 1.3 1.3 - 3.5 8.9 16.3 .544 - - - 5.4 6.5 .833
Marques Johnson 80 34.6 19.5 3.7 6.9 10.6 2.4 1.2 1.3 2.2 2.8 7.9 15.1 .522 - - - 3.8 5.1 .736
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 2 31.0 25.0 2.5 3.0 5.5 1.5 0.5 1.0 - 4.5 9.5 22.0 .432 - - - 6.0 7.5 .800
Marques Johnson 9 35.7 24.0 3.9 8.6 12.4 3.4 1.1 1.9 1.6 2.8 9.3 17.0 .549 - - - 5.3 7.1 .750

Season 2

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1977-781978-79
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 82 34.8 27.2 1.4 3.7 5.1 3.7 1.7 1.3 3.7 3.1 10.5 19.6 .536 - - - 6.1 7.4 .830
Marques Johnson 77 36.1 25.6 2.8 4.9 7.6 3.0 1.5 1.2 2.2 2.4 10.6 19.4 .550 - - - 4.3 5.7 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 6 37.8 33.2 1.8 3.8 5.7 3.2 1.0 2.7 3.2 3.8 13.0 23.7 .549 - - - 7.2 9.3 .768
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 3

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1978-791979-80
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf FinalsBucks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 80 36.1 29.6 1.8 3.2 5.0 2.7 1.7 1.1 3.6 3.4 11.8 21.9 .541 - - - 5.9 7.1 .826
Marques Johnson 77 34.9 21.7 2.8 4.5 7.4 3.5 1.3 0.9 2.4 2.2 8.9 16.5 .544 0.0 0.1 .222 3.8 4.8 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 14 36.6 28.6 2.4 3.5 5.9 2.5 1.9 1.1 2.9 3.6 11.3 21.1 .536 - - - 6.0 7.4 .808
Marques Johnson 7 43.3 19.9 2.4 4.4 6.9 2.9 0.7 0.9 1.1 2.9 7.7 18.3 .422 0.1 0.4 .333 4.3 5.7 .750

Season 4

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1979-801980-81
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf 1st RdBucks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 78 37.6 33.1 2.0 3.2 5.2 2.6 1.4 1.0 3.3 2.7 13.1 24.9 .528 0.4 1.3 .314 6.5 7.6 .852
Marques Johnson 76 33.4 20.3 3.0 3.9 6.8 4.6 1.5 0.5 2.5 2.6 8.4 15.2 .552 0.0 0.1 .000 3.5 5.0 .706
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 3 40.7 33.3 3.0 3.7 6.7 4.0 1.7 1.0 3.0 2.7 12.3 24.7 .500 0.0 0.7 .000 8.7 10.0 .867
Marques Johnson 7 38.0 24.7 5.9 3.6 9.4 4.9 1.4 1.0 1.9 2.0 10.7 19.3 .556 0.0 0.1 .000 3.3 4.6 .719

Season 5

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1980-811981-82
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf SemisBucks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 82 33.7 27.1 1.5 3.6 5.1 3.2 1.1 0.7 3.1 2.6 10.4 21.1 .492 0.1 0.4 .257 6.2 7.6 .826
Marques Johnson 60 31.7 16.5 2.6 3.5 6.1 3.6 1.0 0.6 2.4 2.4 6.7 12.7 .532 0.0 0.1 .000 3.0 4.3 .700
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 7 39.1 27.1 1.3 3.7 5.0 3.4 0.7 0.7 2.9 2.7 11.0 22.0 .500 0.0 0.4 .000 5.1 6.4 .800
Marques Johnson 6 39.2 18.8 3.8 3.5 7.3 3.3 1.0 0.3 2.0 4.2 7.3 16.7 .440 0.2 0.7 .250 4.0 7.0 .571

Season 6

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1981-821982-83
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf FinalsBucks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 79 35.7 32.3 1.7 3.2 5.0 2.4 1.0 0.6 2.7 2.7 12.6 25.2 .500 0.1 0.5 .278 7.0 8.1 .864
Marques Johnson 80 35.7 21.4 2.5 4.6 7.0 4.5 1.3 0.7 2.5 2.6 9.0 17.8 .509 0.1 0.3 .200 3.3 4.5 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 9 41.4 29.4 2.1 5.2 7.3 4.6 1.1 0.4 3.4 4.0 11.4 25.3 .452 0.0 0.3 .000 6.6 7.9 .831
Marques Johnson 9 42.4 22.0 3.1 4.9 8.0 4.2 0.9 0.8 2.3 2.4 9.4 19.4 .486 0.0 0.1 .000 3.1 4.8 .651

Season 7

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1982-831983-84
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf FinalsBucks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 78 36.3 26.2 1.4 3.2 4.6 3.4 1.1 0.9 3.2 3.1 9.7 19.9 .487 0.2 0.4 .364 6.6 7.8 .853
Marques Johnson 74 36.7 20.7 2.3 4.1 6.5 4.3 1.6 0.6 2.4 2.6 8.7 17.4 .502 0.0 0.2 .154 3.3 4.6 .709
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 11 39.7 25.2 1.9 4.8 6.7 3.4 1.1 0.4 4.2 3.5 9.8 18.9 .519 0.0 0.2 .000 5.5 6.3 .884
Marques Johnson 16 37.8 20.3 1.8 3.5 5.3 3.4 1.1 0.4 2.7 3.1 8.1 17.1 .473 0.1 0.3 .250 4.1 5.6 .722

Season 8

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1983-841984-85
Team San Antonio SpursLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 76 34.0 25.9 1.4 2.7 4.1 2.9 1.0 0.6 2.9 2.9 10.1 20.5 .490 0.1 0.3 .417 5.6 6.7 .842
Marques Johnson 72 34.0 16.4 2.6 3.3 5.9 3.4 1.0 0.4 2.4 2.7 6.9 15.2 .452 0.0 0.2 .231 2.6 3.6 .731
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 9

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1984-851985-86
Team San Antonio SpursLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 72 29.0 21.2 1.1 2.2 3.3 2.5 0.9 0.7 2.8 2.9 8.3 16.4 .508 0.0 0.1 .000 4.5 5.3 .844
Marques Johnson 75 34.7 20.3 2.1 3.5 5.5 3.8 1.4 0.7 2.4 2.9 8.2 16.0 .510 0.0 0.2 .067 4.0 5.2 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 5 36.6 22.2 0.6 3.0 3.6 2.8 0.6 0.6 4.0 3.8 8.4 15.8 .532 0.0 0.6 .000 5.4 6.8 .794
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season 1985-861986-87
Team Chicago BullsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 82 25.2 16.2 1.0 1.7 2.6 1.8 0.6 0.3 2.0 2.6 6.3 13.4 .472 0.0 0.2 .211 3.5 3.9 .879
Marques Johnson 10 30.2 16.6 0.9 2.4 3.3 2.8 1.2 0.5 1.7 2.4 6.8 15.5 .439 0.0 0.6 .000 3.0 4.2 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin 2 5.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.5 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------

Note: Marques Johnson didn't play in 1987-88 and 1988-89.

Season 11

George Gervin Marques Johnson
Season -1989-90
Team -Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson 10 9.9 4.0 0.8 0.9 1.7 0.9 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.2 1.2 3.2 .375 0.2 0.3 .667 1.4 1.7 .824
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
George Gervin ------- --- ----------
Marques Johnson ------- --- ----------