Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

Ever wondered how Larry Bird and Magic Johnson truly stack up against each other? This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Larry Bird, with a career spanning 13 seasons from 1980 to 1992, 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.

Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Larry Bird Magic Johnson Larry Bird Magic Johnson
Points
40th
88th
13th
17th
Rebounds
58th
154th
11th
20th
Assists
49th
7th
9th
1st
Steals
41st
23rd
8th
4th
Blocks
167th
+300th
41st
139th
Years13131213

Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Larry Bird Magic Johnson Larry Bird Magic Johnson
Points
23rd
82nd
41st
102nd
Rebounds
55th
212nd
50th
163rd
Assists
52nd
1st
40th
1st
Steals
39th
19th
25th
19th
Blocks
226th
+300th
195th
+300th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
40th
88th
48 21,791 vs. 17,7074,084
Rebounds
58th
154th
96 8,974 vs. 6,5592,415
Assists
49th
7th
42 5,695 vs. 10,1414,446
Steals
41st
23rd
18 1,556 vs. 1,724168
Blocks
167th
+300th
+133 755 vs. 374381
Offensive Rebounds
158th
199th
41 1,757 vs. 1,601156
Defensive Rebounds
27th
99th
72 7,217 vs. 4,9582,259
Field Goals Made
30th
117th
87 8,591 vs. 6,2112,380
Field Goals Attempted
39th
166th
127 17,334 vs. 11,9515,383
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
649 vs. 325324
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
1,727 vs. 1,074653
Free Throws Made
84th
40th
44 3,960 vs. 4,9601,000
Free Throws Attempted
118th
49th
69 4,471 vs. 5,8501,379

Games and Years:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
274th
261st
13 897 vs. 9069
Seasons
292nd
292nd
0 13 vs. 130

Triple-Doubles:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
11th
4th
7 59 vs. 13879

Rankings by Points Scored:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
23rd
138th
115 47 vs. 641
50+ point games
29th
-
4 vs. 04
60+ point games
11th
-
1 vs. 01
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
13th
17th
4 3,897 vs. 3,701196
Rebounds
11th
20th
9 1,683 vs. 1,465218
Assists
9th
1st
8 1,062 vs. 2,3461,284
Steals
8th
4th
4 296 vs. 35862
Blocks
41st
139th
98 145 vs. 6481
Offensive Rebounds
22nd
27th
5 360 vs. 34911
Defensive Rebounds
5th
15th
10 1,323 vs. 1,116207
Field Goals Made
12th
19th
7 1,458 vs. 1,291167
Field Goals Attempted
13th
25th
12 3,090 vs. 2,552538
3-Pointers Made
162nd
273rd
111 80 vs. 5129
3-Pointers Attempted
140th
179th
39 249 vs. 21237
Free Throws Made
14th
11th
3 901 vs. 1,068167
Free Throws Attempted
22nd
12th
10 1,012 vs. 1,274262

Games and Years:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
36th
14th
22 164 vs. 19026
Playoffs
76th
45th
31 12 vs. 131

Triple-Doubles:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
6th
1st
5 10 vs. 3020

Rankings by Points Scored:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
28th
37th
9 5 vs. 41
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
23rd
82nd
59 24.29 vs. 19.544.75
Rebounds per game
55th
212nd
157 10.00 vs. 7.242.76
Assists per game
52nd
1st
51 6.35 vs. 11.194.84
Steals per game
39th
19th
20 1.73 vs. 1.900.17
Blocks per game
226th
+300th
+74 0.84 vs. 0.410.43
Offensive Rebounds per game
228th
+300th
+72 1.96 vs. 1.770.19
Defensive Rebounds per game
12th
113rd
101 8.05 vs. 5.472.57
Field Goals Made per game
9th
137th
128 9.58 vs. 6.862.72
Field Goals Attempted per game
17th
225th
208 19.32 vs. 13.196.13
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.72 vs. 0.360.36
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.93 vs. 1.190.74
Free Throws Made per game
89th
37th
52 4.41 vs. 5.471.06
Free Throws Attempted per game
139th
54th
85 4.98 vs. 6.461.47

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
41st
102nd
61 23.76 vs. 19.484.28
Rebounds per game
50th
163rd
113 10.26 vs. 7.712.55
Assists per game
40th
1st
39 6.48 vs. 12.355.87
Steals per game
25th
19th
6 1.80 vs. 1.880.08
Blocks per game
195th
+300th
+105 0.88 vs. 0.340.55
Offensive Rebounds per game
172nd
266th
94 2.20 vs. 1.840.36
Defensive Rebounds per game
19th
99th
80 8.07 vs. 5.872.19
Field Goals Made per game
37th
142nd
105 8.89 vs. 6.792.10
Field Goals Attempted per game
47th
212nd
165 18.84 vs. 13.435.41
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.49 vs. 0.270.22
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.52 vs. 1.120.40
Free Throws Made per game
56th
47th
9 5.49 vs. 5.620.13
Free Throws Attempted per game
93rd
68th
25 6.17 vs. 6.710.53

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.