Desmond Bane vs. Magic Johnson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Magic Johnson and Desmond Bane to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Magic Johnson has better scoring stats than Desmond Bane in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 13 NBA regular seasons played, Magic Johnson averages 1.7 points more than Desmond Bane in his 5 seasons (19.5 points against 17.8), and he also scored a total of 12,127 points more (17,707 vs. 5,580).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Desmond Bane | 17.8 | 5 | |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | +1.7 | 13 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Desmond Bane | 5,580 | 5 | |
| Magic Johnson | 17,707 | +12,127 | 13 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Magic Johnson has a better career point average than Desmond Bane (+2.6 points per game) and he also scored more points (+3,246).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Desmond Bane | 16.9 | 4 | |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | +2.6 | 13 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Desmond Bane | 455 | 4 | |
| Magic Johnson | 3,701 | +3,246 | 13 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 137 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 447 | +310 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 256 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 825 | +569 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 311 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 903 | +592 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 2 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 3 | +1 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 0 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 4 | +4 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 10 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 83 | +73 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 18 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 182 | +164 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 27 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 189 | +162 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 0 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 1 | +1 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 17.8 | 6.5 | 13.8 | 47.2 | 2.6 | 6.3 | 41.0 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 88.3 | 5 | 313 |
| difference: | +1.7 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +4.8 | +2.2 | +5.1 | +10.7 | +3.3 | +4.0 | +3.5 | +8 | +593 |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | 6.9 | 13.2 | 52.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 30.3 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 84.8 | 13 | 906 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 5,580 | 2,045 | 4,333 | 47.2 | 812 | 1,979 | 41.0 | 678 | 768 | 88.3 | 5 | 313 |
| difference: | +12,127 | +4,166 | +7,618 | +4.8 | +487 | +905 | +10.7 | +4,282 | +5,082 | +3.5 | +8 | +593 |
| Magic Johnson | 17,707 | 6,211 | 11,951 | 52.0 | 325 | 1,074 | 30.3 | 4,960 | 5,850 | 84.8 | 13 | 906 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 16.9 | 5.8 | 13.2 | 43.7 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 39.6 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 89.9 | 4 | 27 |
| difference: | +2.6 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +6.9 | +2.4 | +5.6 | +15.5 | +3.0 | +3.8 | +6.1 | +9 | +163 |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | 6.8 | 13.4 | 50.6 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 24.1 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 83.8 | 13 | 190 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Desmond Bane | 455 | 156 | 357 | 43.7 | 72 | 182 | 39.6 | 71 | 79 | 89.9 | 4 | 27 |
| difference: | +3,246 | +1,135 | +2,195 | +6.9 | +21 | +30 | +15.5 | +997 | +1,195 | +6.1 | +9 | +163 |
| Magic Johnson | 3,701 | 1,291 | 2,552 | 50.6 | 51 | 212 | 24.1 | 1,068 | 1,274 | 83.8 | 13 | 190 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 9.2 | 2021 | 68 | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.0 | +8.8 | 1980 | 77 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 18.2 | 2022 | 76 | |
| Magic Johnson | 21.6 | +3.4 | 1981 | 37 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 21.5 | +2.9 | 2023 | 58 |
| Magic Johnson | 18.6 | 1982 | 78 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 23.7 | +6.9 | 2024 | 42 |
| Magic Johnson | 16.8 | 1983 | 79 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 19.2 | +1.6 | 2025 | 69 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.6 | 1984 | 67 | |
Magic Johnson's additional seasons: | ||||
* Magic Johnson played 8 seasons more than Desmond Bane in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 13, from 1985 to 1996—he averaged 20.4 points in a total of 568 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 23.9 ppg and his lowest 14.6. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 5.6 | 2021 | 5 | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.3 | +12.7 | 1980 | 16 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 18.8 | +1.8 | 2022 | 12 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.0 | 1981 | 3 | |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 23.5 | +6.1 | 2023 | 6 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.4 | 1982 | 14 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.9 | +17.9 | 1983 | 15 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Desmond Bane | 15.3 | 2025 | 4 | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.2 | +2.9 | 1984 | 21 |
Magic Johnson's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 8 additional NBA seasons, Magic Johnson played in 8 Playoffs and won 3 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 20.4 points in a total of 121 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 25.2 ppg and his lowest 15.3. |