Magic Johnson vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Magic Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki 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

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Magic Johnson, with a career spanning 13 seasons from 1980 to 1996, and Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons played from 1999 to 2019, 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.

Magic Johnson vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki
Points
88th
6th
17th
18th
Rebounds
156th
27th
20th
24th
Assists
8th
163rd
1st
105th
Steals
24th
96th
4th
55th
Blocks
+300th
56th
139th
53rd
Years13211315

Magic Johnson vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki
Points
84th
59th
102nd
28th
Rebounds
213rd
181st
163rd
61st
Assists
1st
+300th
1st
+300th
Steals
19th
+300th
19th
276th
Blocks
+300th
228th
+300th
188th

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:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
88th
6th
82 17,707 vs. 31,56013,853
Rebounds
156th
27th
129 6,559 vs. 11,4894,930
Assists
8th
163rd
155 10,141 vs. 3,6516,490
Steals
24th
96th
72 1,724 vs. 1,210514
Blocks
+300th
56th
+244 374 vs. 1,281907
Offensive Rebounds
201st
237th
36 1,601 vs. 1,468133
Defensive Rebounds
100th
6th
94 4,958 vs. 10,0215,063
Field Goals Made
118th
8th
110 6,211 vs. 11,1694,958
Field Goals Attempted
168th
8th
160 11,951 vs. 23,73411,783
3-Pointers Made
+300th
20th
+280 325 vs. 1,9821,657
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
23rd
+277 1,074 vs. 5,2104,136
Free Throws Made
42nd
9th
33 4,960 vs. 7,2402,280
Free Throws Attempted
50th
18th
32 5,850 vs. 8,2392,389

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
263rd
5th
258 906 vs. 1,522616
Seasons
300th
3rd
297 13 vs. 218

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
4th
205th
201 138 vs. 2136

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
139th
62nd
77 6 vs. 2014
50+ point games
-
50th
0 vs. 22
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
17th
18th
1 3,701 vs. 3,66338
Rebounds
20th
24th
4 1,465 vs. 1,44619
Assists
1st
105th
104 2,346 vs. 3601,986
Steals
4th
55th
51 358 vs. 149209
Blocks
139th
53rd
86 64 vs. 12965
Offensive Rebounds
27th
83rd
56 349 vs. 212137
Defensive Rebounds
15th
7th
8 1,116 vs. 1,234118
Field Goals Made
19th
21st
2 1,291 vs. 1,22071
Field Goals Attempted
25th
21st
4 2,552 vs. 2,64290
3-Pointers Made
273rd
62nd
211 51 vs. 14998
3-Pointers Attempted
179th
63rd
116 212 vs. 408196
Free Throws Made
11th
10th
1 1,068 vs. 1,0746
Free Throws Attempted
12th
14th
2 1,274 vs. 1,20470

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
14th
54th
40 190 vs. 14545
Playoffs
45th
17th
28 13 vs. 152

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
1st
+300th
30 vs. 030

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
37th
20th
17 4 vs. 73
50+ point games
-
9th
0 vs. 11
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
84th
59th
25 19.54 vs. 20.741.19
Rebounds per game
213rd
181st
32 7.24 vs. 7.550.31
Assists per game
1st
+300th
+299 11.19 vs. 2.408.79
Steals per game
19th
+300th
+281 1.90 vs. 0.801.11
Blocks per game
+300th
228th
+72 0.41 vs. 0.840.43
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.77 vs. 0.960.80
Defensive Rebounds per game
115th
54th
61 5.47 vs. 6.581.11
Field Goals Made per game
139th
91st
48 6.86 vs. 7.340.48
Field Goals Attempted per game
228th
102nd
126 13.19 vs. 15.592.40
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
271st
+29 0.36 vs. 1.300.94
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
216th
+84 1.19 vs. 3.422.24
Free Throws Made per game
37th
69th
32 5.47 vs. 4.760.72
Free Throws Attempted per game
54th
107th
53 6.46 vs. 5.411.04

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
102nd
28th
74 19.48 vs. 25.265.78
Rebounds per game
163rd
61st
102 7.71 vs. 9.972.26
Assists per game
1st
+300th
+299 12.35 vs. 2.489.86
Steals per game
19th
276th
257 1.88 vs. 1.030.86
Blocks per game
+300th
188th
+112 0.34 vs. 0.890.55
Offensive Rebounds per game
266th
+300th
+34 1.84 vs. 1.460.37
Defensive Rebounds per game
99th
11th
88 5.87 vs. 8.512.64
Field Goals Made per game
142nd
51st
91 6.79 vs. 8.411.62
Field Goals Attempted per game
212nd
58th
154 13.43 vs. 18.224.79
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.27 vs. 1.030.76
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.12 vs. 2.811.70
Free Throws Made per game
47th
10th
37 5.62 vs. 7.411.79
Free Throws Attempted per game
68th
23rd
45 6.71 vs. 8.301.60

Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 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 a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.