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?
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 | ||||
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 |
Years | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
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: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 40th | 88th | 48 | 21,791 vs. 17,707 | 4,084 |
Rebounds | 58th | 154th | 96 | 8,974 vs. 6,559 | 2,415 |
Assists | 49th | 7th | 42 | 5,695 vs. 10,141 | 4,446 |
Steals | 41st | 23rd | 18 | 1,556 vs. 1,724 | 168 |
Blocks | 167th | +300th | +133 | 755 vs. 374 | 381 |
Offensive Rebounds | 158th | 199th | 41 | 1,757 vs. 1,601 | 156 |
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | 99th | 72 | 7,217 vs. 4,958 | 2,259 |
Field Goals Made | 30th | 117th | 87 | 8,591 vs. 6,211 | 2,380 |
Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 166th | 127 | 17,334 vs. 11,951 | 5,383 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 649 vs. 325 | 324 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,727 vs. 1,074 | 653 | |
Free Throws Made | 84th | 40th | 44 | 3,960 vs. 4,960 | 1,000 |
Free Throws Attempted | 118th | 49th | 69 | 4,471 vs. 5,850 | 1,379 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 274th | 261st | 13 | 897 vs. 906 | 9 |
Seasons | 292nd | 292nd | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 11th | 4th | 7 | 59 vs. 138 | 79 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 23rd | 138th | 115 | 47 vs. 6 | 41 |
50+ point games | 29th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 13th | 17th | 4 | 3,897 vs. 3,701 | 196 |
Rebounds | 11th | 20th | 9 | 1,683 vs. 1,465 | 218 |
Assists | 9th | 1st | 8 | 1,062 vs. 2,346 | 1,284 |
Steals | 8th | 4th | 4 | 296 vs. 358 | 62 |
Blocks | 41st | 139th | 98 | 145 vs. 64 | 81 |
Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 27th | 5 | 360 vs. 349 | 11 |
Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 15th | 10 | 1,323 vs. 1,116 | 207 |
Field Goals Made | 12th | 19th | 7 | 1,458 vs. 1,291 | 167 |
Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 25th | 12 | 3,090 vs. 2,552 | 538 |
3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 273rd | 111 | 80 vs. 51 | 29 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 179th | 39 | 249 vs. 212 | 37 |
Free Throws Made | 14th | 11th | 3 | 901 vs. 1,068 | 167 |
Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 12th | 10 | 1,012 vs. 1,274 | 262 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 36th | 14th | 22 | 164 vs. 190 | 26 |
Playoffs | 76th | 45th | 31 | 12 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 6th | 1st | 5 | 10 vs. 30 | 20 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 37th | 9 | 5 vs. 4 | 1 |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 23rd | 82nd | 59 | 24.29 vs. 19.54 | 4.75 |
Rebounds per game | 55th | 212nd | 157 | 10.00 vs. 7.24 | 2.76 |
Assists per game | 52nd | 1st | 51 | 6.35 vs. 11.19 | 4.84 |
Steals per game | 39th | 19th | 20 | 1.73 vs. 1.90 | 0.17 |
Blocks per game | 226th | +300th | +74 | 0.84 vs. 0.41 | 0.43 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 1.96 vs. 1.77 | 0.19 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | 113rd | 101 | 8.05 vs. 5.47 | 2.57 |
Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 137th | 128 | 9.58 vs. 6.86 | 2.72 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 225th | 208 | 19.32 vs. 13.19 | 6.13 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.72 vs. 0.36 | 0.36 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.93 vs. 1.19 | 0.74 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 89th | 37th | 52 | 4.41 vs. 5.47 | 1.06 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 54th | 85 | 4.98 vs. 6.46 | 1.47 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 41st | 102nd | 61 | 23.76 vs. 19.48 | 4.28 |
Rebounds per game | 50th | 163rd | 113 | 10.26 vs. 7.71 | 2.55 |
Assists per game | 40th | 1st | 39 | 6.48 vs. 12.35 | 5.87 |
Steals per game | 25th | 19th | 6 | 1.80 vs. 1.88 | 0.08 |
Blocks per game | 195th | +300th | +105 | 0.88 vs. 0.34 | 0.55 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | 266th | 94 | 2.20 vs. 1.84 | 0.36 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 99th | 80 | 8.07 vs. 5.87 | 2.19 |
Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 142nd | 105 | 8.89 vs. 6.79 | 2.10 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 212nd | 165 | 18.84 vs. 13.43 | 5.41 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.49 vs. 0.27 | 0.22 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.52 vs. 1.12 | 0.40 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 47th | 9 | 5.49 vs. 5.62 | 0.13 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 68th | 25 | 6.17 vs. 6.71 | 0.53 |
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.