LaMelo Ball vs. Magic Johnson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Magic Johnson and LaMelo Ball 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 in the regular season LaMelo Ball has a better scoring average and Magic Johnson scored more points, and since LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Magic Johnson has better playoff stats. 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 5 NBA regular seasons played, LaMelo Ball averages 1.5 points more than Magic Johnson in his 13 seasons (21.0 points against 19.5). On the other hand Magic Johnson scored a total of 12,848 points more than LaMelo Ball (17,707 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | +1.5 | 5 |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | 13 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
| Magic Johnson | 17,707 | +12,848 | 13 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Magic Johnson has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | +19.5 | 13 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Magic Johnson | 3,701 | +3,701 | 13 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | +1 | ||
| Magic Johnson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 447 | +317 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 825 | +615 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 903 | +673 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| Magic Johnson | 3 | +2 | ||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Magic Johnson's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 7.4 | 17.6 | 42.1 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 36.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +1.5 | +0.5 | +4.4 | +9.8 | +2.7 | +7.2 | +6.2 | +2.4 | +2.8 | +1.1 | +8 | +675 |
| 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 | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 1,716 | 4,073 | 42.1 | 705 | 1,934 | 36.5 | 722 | 863 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +12,848 | +4,495 | +7,878 | +9.8 | +380 | +860 | +6.2 | +4,238 | +4,987 | +1.1 | +8 | +675 |
| 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 | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +19.5 | +6.8 | +13.4 | +50.6 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +24.1 | +5.6 | +6.7 | +83.8 | +13 | +190 |
| 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 | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +3,701 | +1,291 | +2,552 | +50.6 | +51 | +212 | +24.1 | +1,068 | +1,274 | +83.8 | +13 | +190 |
| 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 | |
| LaMelo Ball | 15.7 | 2021 | 51 | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.0 | +2.3 | 1980 | 77 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 20.1 | 2022 | 75 | |
| Magic Johnson | 21.6 | +1.5 | 1981 | 37 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 23.3 | +4.7 | 2023 | 36 |
| Magic Johnson | 18.6 | 1982 | 78 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 23.9 | +7.1 | 2024 | 22 |
| Magic Johnson | 16.8 | 1983 | 79 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 25.2 | +7.6 | 2025 | 47 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.6 | 1984 | 67 | |
Magic Johnson's additional seasons: | ||||
* Magic Johnson played 8 seasons more than LaMelo Ball 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 | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 18.3 | +18.3 | 1980 | 16 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.0 | +17.0 | 1981 | 3 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.4 | +17.4 | 1982 | 14 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 17.9 | +17.9 | 1983 | 15 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 18.2 | +18.2 | 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. |