Manu Ginobili vs. Larry Johnson: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of Larry Johnson and Manu Ginobili 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.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings

By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Larry Johnson has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while Manu Ginobili scored more total points in both stages. 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points in the Regular Season

In his 10 NBA regular seasons played, Larry Johnson averages 2.9 points more than Manu Ginobili in his 16 seasons (16.2 points against 13.3). On the other hand Manu Ginobili scored a total of 2,593 points more than Larry Johnson (14,043 vs. 11,450).

Points Per Game

Seasons
Manu Ginobili 13.3
16
Larry Johnson 16.2
+2.9
10

Total Points

Seasons
Manu Ginobili 14,043
+2,593
16
Larry Johnson 11,450
10

Points in the Playoffs

Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Larry Johnson has a better career point average than Manu Ginobili (+0.2 points per game) while Manu Ginobili scored more points (+2,117).

Points Per Game

Playoffs
Manu Ginobili 14.0
15
Larry Johnson 14.2
+0.2
6

Total Points

Playoffs
Manu Ginobili 3,054
+2,117
15
Larry Johnson 937
6

Points by Thresholds

Regular Season

40+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 6
+5
Larry Johnson 1

30+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 32
+9
Larry Johnson 23

20+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 205
Larry Johnson 235
+30

10+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 698
+121
Larry Johnson 577

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Manu Ginobili 1,041
+337
Larry Johnson 704

0 Point Games (games without points)

Manu Ginobili 16
+13
Larry Johnson 3

Playoffs

30+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 9
+8
Larry Johnson 1

20+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 53
+36
Larry Johnson 17

10+ Point Games

Manu Ginobili 147
+99
Larry Johnson 48

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Manu Ginobili 211
+146
Larry Johnson 65

0 Point Games (games without points)

Manu Ginobili 7
+6
Larry Johnson 1

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

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Regular Season

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Manu Ginobili 13.3 4.3 9.7 44.7 1.4 3.8 36.9 3.2 3.9 82.7 16 1,057
difference:+2.9+1.9+3.2+3.8+0.9+2.2+3.7+0.3+6.1+6+350
Larry Johnson 16.2 6.2 12.9 48.4 0.5 1.6 33.2 3.2 4.2 76.6 10 707

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Manu Ginobili 14,043 4,584 10,262 44.7 1,495 4,055 36.9 3,380 4,089 82.7 16 1,057
difference:+2,593+183+1,176+3.8+1,128+2,951+3.7+1,099+1,111+6.1+6+350
Larry Johnson 11,450 4,401 9,086 48.4 367 1,104 33.2 2,281 2,978 76.6 10 707

Playoffs

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Manu Ginobili 14.0 4.4 10.1 43.3 1.5 4.2 35.8 3.8 4.6 81.7 15 218
difference:+0.2+0.9+0.9+5.0+0.8+1.9+5.5+1.0+0.9+5.0+9+152
Larry Johnson 14.2 5.3 11.0 48.3 0.7 2.3 30.3 2.8 3.7 76.7 6 66

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Manu Ginobili 3,054 956 2,209 43.3 324 905 35.8 818 1,001 81.7 15 218
difference:+2,117+605+1,482+5.0+277+750+5.5+630+756+5.0+9+152
Larry Johnson 937 351 727 48.3 47 155 30.3 188 245 76.7 6 66

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

NBA Champion = NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 7.6
2003NBA Champion69
Larry Johnson 19.2
+11.6
199282

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 12.8
200477
Larry Johnson 22.1
+9.3
199382

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 16.0
2005NBA Champion74
Larry Johnson 16.4
+0.4
199451

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 15.1
200665
Larry Johnson 18.8
+3.7
199581

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 16.5
2007NBA Champion75
Larry Johnson 20.5
+4.0
199681

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 19.5
+6.7
200874
Larry Johnson 12.8
199776

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 15.5
200944
Larry Johnson 15.5
199870

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 16.5
+4.5
201075
Larry Johnson 12.0
199949

Season 9

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 17.4
+6.7
201180
Larry Johnson 10.7
200070

Season 10

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 12.9
+3.0
201234
Larry Johnson 9.9
200165

Manu Ginobili's additional seasons:

* Manu Ginobili played 6 seasons more than Larry Johnson in the NBA.

In those years—his seasons 11 to 16, from 2013 to 2018—he averaged 10.1 points in a total of 390 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 12.3 ppg and his lowest 7.5.

Playoffs

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 9.4
+9.4
2003NBA Champion24
Larry Johnson -
DNP
19920

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 13.0
200410
Larry Johnson 19.8
+6.8
19939

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 20.8
+20.8
2005NBA Champion23
Larry Johnson -
DNP
19940

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 18.4
200613
Larry Johnson 20.8
+2.4
19954

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 16.7
+16.7
2007NBA Champion20
Larry Johnson -
DNP
19960

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 17.8
+4.0
200817
Larry Johnson 13.8
19979

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili -
DNP
20090
Larry Johnson 17.9
+17.9
19988

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 19.4
+7.9
201010
Larry Johnson 11.5
199920

Season 9

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 20.6
+9.3
20115
Larry Johnson 11.3
200016

Season 10

Points per gameYearGames
Manu Ginobili 14.4
+14.4
201214
Larry Johnson -
DNP
20010

Manu Ginobili's additional Playoffs:

* During his 6 additional NBA seasons, Manu Ginobili played in 6 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 10.3 points in a total of 82 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 14.3 ppg and his lowest 6.6.