Charles Barkley vs. Magic Johnson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Charles Barkley, with a career spanning 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000, and Magic Johnson, with 13 seasons played from 1980 to 1996, stand among the league's historical elite..
Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.
Charles Barkley vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | |
Points | 31st | 88th | 36th | 17th |
Rebounds | 19th | 154th | 15th | 20th |
Assists | 111st | 7th | 63rd | 1st |
Steals | 28th | 23rd | 35th | 4th |
Blocks | 129th | +300th | 68th | 139th |
Years | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Charles Barkley vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | |
Points | 38th | 82nd | 44th | 102nd |
Rebounds | 22nd | 212nd | 13th | 163rd |
Assists | 239th | 1st | 197th | 1st |
Steals | 72nd | 19th | 57th | 19th |
Blocks | 233rd | +300th | 195th | +300th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 31st | 88th | 57 | 23,757 vs. 17,707 | 6,050 |
Rebounds | 19th | 154th | 135 | 12,546 vs. 6,559 | 5,987 |
Assists | 111st | 7th | 104 | 4,215 vs. 10,141 | 5,926 |
Steals | 28th | 23rd | 5 | 1,648 vs. 1,724 | 76 |
Blocks | 129th | +300th | +171 | 888 vs. 374 | 514 |
Offensive Rebounds | 5th | 199th | 194 | 4,260 vs. 1,601 | 2,659 |
Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 99th | 84 | 8,286 vs. 4,958 | 3,328 |
Field Goals Made | 35th | 117th | 82 | 8,435 vs. 6,211 | 2,224 |
Field Goals Attempted | 61st | 166th | 105 | 15,605 vs. 11,951 | 3,654 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 538 vs. 325 | 213 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | 289th | +300th | +11 | 2,020 vs. 1,074 | 946 |
Free Throws Made | 17th | 40th | 23 | 6,349 vs. 4,960 | 1,389 |
Free Throws Attempted | 13th | 49th | 36 | 8,643 vs. 5,850 | 2,793 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 106th | 261st | 155 | 1,073 vs. 906 | 167 |
Seasons | 87th | 292nd | 205 | 16 vs. 13 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 29th | 4th | 25 | 20 vs. 138 | 118 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 57th | 138th | 81 | 21 vs. 6 | 15 |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 36th | 17th | 19 | 2,833 vs. 3,701 | 868 |
Rebounds | 15th | 20th | 5 | 1,582 vs. 1,465 | 117 |
Assists | 63rd | 1st | 62 | 482 vs. 2,346 | 1,864 |
Steals | 35th | 4th | 31 | 193 vs. 358 | 165 |
Blocks | 68th | 139th | 71 | 108 vs. 64 | 44 |
Offensive Rebounds | 7th | 27th | 20 | 510 vs. 349 | 161 |
Defensive Rebounds | 17th | 15th | 2 | 1,072 vs. 1,116 | 44 |
Field Goals Made | 36th | 19th | 17 | 1,009 vs. 1,291 | 282 |
Field Goals Attempted | 47th | 25th | 22 | 1,965 vs. 2,552 | 587 |
3-Pointers Made | 215th | 273rd | 58 | 64 vs. 51 | 13 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 138th | 179th | 41 | 251 vs. 212 | 39 |
Free Throws Made | 25th | 11th | 14 | 751 vs. 1,068 | 317 |
Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 12th | 6 | 1,048 vs. 1,274 | 226 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 100th | 14th | 86 | 123 vs. 190 | 67 |
Playoffs | 45th | 45th | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 13th | 1st | 12 | 4 vs. 30 | 26 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 37th | 9 | 5 vs. 4 | 1 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 38th | 82nd | 44 | 22.14 vs. 19.54 | 2.60 |
Rebounds per game | 22nd | 212nd | 190 | 11.69 vs. 7.24 | 4.45 |
Assists per game | 239th | 1st | 238 | 3.93 vs. 11.19 | 7.26 |
Steals per game | 72nd | 19th | 53 | 1.54 vs. 1.90 | 0.37 |
Blocks per game | 233rd | +300th | +67 | 0.83 vs. 0.41 | 0.41 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | +300th | +296 | 3.97 vs. 1.77 | 2.20 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 21st | 113rd | 92 | 7.72 vs. 5.47 | 2.25 |
Field Goals Made per game | 56th | 137th | 81 | 7.86 vs. 6.86 | 1.01 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 149th | 225th | 76 | 14.54 vs. 13.19 | 1.35 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.50 vs. 0.36 | 0.14 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.88 vs. 1.19 | 0.70 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 22nd | 37th | 15 | 5.92 vs. 5.47 | 0.44 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 20th | 54th | 34 | 8.05 vs. 6.46 | 1.60 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 44th | 102nd | 58 | 23.03 vs. 19.48 | 3.55 |
Rebounds per game | 13th | 163rd | 150 | 12.86 vs. 7.71 | 5.15 |
Assists per game | 197th | 1st | 196 | 3.92 vs. 12.35 | 8.43 |
Steals per game | 57th | 19th | 38 | 1.57 vs. 1.88 | 0.32 |
Blocks per game | 195th | +300th | +105 | 0.88 vs. 0.34 | 0.54 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | 266th | 262 | 4.15 vs. 1.84 | 2.31 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 8th | 99th | 91 | 8.72 vs. 5.87 | 2.84 |
Field Goals Made per game | 58th | 142nd | 84 | 8.20 vs. 6.79 | 1.41 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 108th | 212nd | 104 | 15.98 vs. 13.43 | 2.54 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.52 vs. 0.27 | 0.25 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.04 vs. 1.12 | 0.92 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 31st | 47th | 16 | 6.11 vs. 5.62 | 0.48 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 19th | 68th | 49 | 8.52 vs. 6.71 | 1.82 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.