Tim Hardaway vs. Magic Johnson: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of Magic Johnson and Tim Hardaway 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 Tim Hardaway 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points by Thresholds

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

= NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	14.7		1990	79
Magic Johnson	18.0	+3.3	1980	77

Season 2	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	22.9	+1.3	1991	82
Magic Johnson	21.6		1981	37

Season 3	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	23.4	+4.8	1992	81
Magic Johnson	18.6		1982	78

Season 4	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	21.5	+4.7	1993	66
Magic Johnson	16.8		1983	79

Season 5	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	20.1	+2.5	1995	62
Magic Johnson	17.6		1984	67

Season 6	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	15.2		1996	80
Magic Johnson	18.3	+3.1	1985	77

Season 7	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	20.3	+1.5	1997	81
Magic Johnson	18.8		1986	72

Season 8	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	18.9		1998	81
Magic Johnson	23.9	+5.0	1987	80

Season 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	17.4		1999	48
Magic Johnson	19.6	+2.2	1988	72

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	13.4		2000	52
Magic Johnson	22.5	+9.1	1989	77

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	14.9		2001	77
Magic Johnson	22.3	+7.4	1990	79

Season 12	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	9.6		2002	68
Magic Johnson	19.4	+9.8	1991	79

Season 13	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	9.6		2002	68
Magic Johnson	14.6	+5.0	1996	32

Tim Hardaway's additional seasons:

* Tim Hardaway played 2 seasons more than Magic Johnson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 14 to 15, from 2002 to 2003—he averaged 9.0 points in a total of 78 regular season games.

Playoffs

Rookie Season	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	-	DNP	1990	0
Magic Johnson	18.3	+18.3	1980	16

Season 2	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	25.2	+8.2	1991	9
Magic Johnson	17.0		1981	3

Season 3	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	24.5	+7.1	1992	4
Magic Johnson	17.4		1982	14

Season 4	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	-	DNP	1993	0
Magic Johnson	17.9	+17.9	1983	15

Season 5	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	-	DNP	1995	0
Magic Johnson	18.2	+18.2	1984	21

Season 6	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	17.7	+0.2	1996	3
Magic Johnson	17.5		1985	19

Season 7	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	18.7		1997	17
Magic Johnson	21.6	+2.9	1986	14

Season 8	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	26.0	+4.2	1998	5
Magic Johnson	21.8		1987	18

Season 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	9.0		1999	5
Magic Johnson	19.9	+10.9	1988	24

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	7.7		2000	7
Magic Johnson	18.4	+10.7	1989	14

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	2.5		2001	2
Magic Johnson	25.2	+22.7	1990	9

Season 12	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	-	DNP	2002	0
Magic Johnson	21.8	+21.8	1991	19

Season 13	Points per game		Year	Games
Tim Hardaway	-	DNP	2002	0
Magic Johnson	15.3	+15.3	1996	4

Tim Hardaway's additional Playoffs:

* During his 2 additional NBA seasons, Tim Hardaway played in one postseason. In those postseasons he averaged 3.3 points in a total of 4 games.