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?
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 | ||||
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 |
| Years | 13 | 21 | 13 | 15 |
Magic Johnson vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
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: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 88th | 6th | 82 | 17,707 vs. 31,560 | 13,853 |
| Rebounds | 156th | 27th | 129 | 6,559 vs. 11,489 | 4,930 |
| Assists | 8th | 163rd | 155 | 10,141 vs. 3,651 | 6,490 |
| Steals | 24th | 96th | 72 | 1,724 vs. 1,210 | 514 |
| Blocks | +300th | 56th | +244 | 374 vs. 1,281 | 907 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 201st | 237th | 36 | 1,601 vs. 1,468 | 133 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 100th | 6th | 94 | 4,958 vs. 10,021 | 5,063 |
| Field Goals Made | 118th | 8th | 110 | 6,211 vs. 11,169 | 4,958 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 168th | 8th | 160 | 11,951 vs. 23,734 | 11,783 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 20th | +280 | 325 vs. 1,982 | 1,657 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 1,074 vs. 5,210 | 4,136 |
| Free Throws Made | 42nd | 9th | 33 | 4,960 vs. 7,240 | 2,280 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 50th | 18th | 32 | 5,850 vs. 8,239 | 2,389 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 263rd | 5th | 258 | 906 vs. 1,522 | 616 |
| Seasons | 300th | 3rd | 297 | 13 vs. 21 | 8 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 4th | 205th | 201 | 138 vs. 2 | 136 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 139th | 62nd | 77 | 6 vs. 20 | 14 |
| 50+ point games | - | 50th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 18th | 1 | 3,701 vs. 3,663 | 38 |
| Rebounds | 20th | 24th | 4 | 1,465 vs. 1,446 | 19 |
| Assists | 1st | 105th | 104 | 2,346 vs. 360 | 1,986 |
| Steals | 4th | 55th | 51 | 358 vs. 149 | 209 |
| Blocks | 139th | 53rd | 86 | 64 vs. 129 | 65 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 27th | 83rd | 56 | 349 vs. 212 | 137 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 7th | 8 | 1,116 vs. 1,234 | 118 |
| Field Goals Made | 19th | 21st | 2 | 1,291 vs. 1,220 | 71 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 25th | 21st | 4 | 2,552 vs. 2,642 | 90 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 273rd | 62nd | 211 | 51 vs. 149 | 98 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 179th | 63rd | 116 | 212 vs. 408 | 196 |
| Free Throws Made | 11th | 10th | 1 | 1,068 vs. 1,074 | 6 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 12th | 14th | 2 | 1,274 vs. 1,204 | 70 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 14th | 54th | 40 | 190 vs. 145 | 45 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 17th | 28 | 13 vs. 15 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 1st | +300th | 30 vs. 0 | 30 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 37th | 20th | 17 | 4 vs. 7 | 3 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 84th | 59th | 25 | 19.54 vs. 20.74 | 1.19 |
| Rebounds per game | 213rd | 181st | 32 | 7.24 vs. 7.55 | 0.31 |
| Assists per game | 1st | +300th | +299 | 11.19 vs. 2.40 | 8.79 |
| Steals per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 1.90 vs. 0.80 | 1.11 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 228th | +72 | 0.41 vs. 0.84 | 0.43 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.77 vs. 0.96 | 0.80 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 115th | 54th | 61 | 5.47 vs. 6.58 | 1.11 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 139th | 91st | 48 | 6.86 vs. 7.34 | 0.48 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 228th | 102nd | 126 | 13.19 vs. 15.59 | 2.40 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 271st | +29 | 0.36 vs. 1.30 | 0.94 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 216th | +84 | 1.19 vs. 3.42 | 2.24 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 37th | 69th | 32 | 5.47 vs. 4.76 | 0.72 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 54th | 107th | 53 | 6.46 vs. 5.41 | 1.04 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 102nd | 28th | 74 | 19.48 vs. 25.26 | 5.78 |
| Rebounds per game | 163rd | 61st | 102 | 7.71 vs. 9.97 | 2.26 |
| Assists per game | 1st | +300th | +299 | 12.35 vs. 2.48 | 9.86 |
| Steals per game | 19th | 276th | 257 | 1.88 vs. 1.03 | 0.86 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 188th | +112 | 0.34 vs. 0.89 | 0.55 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 266th | +300th | +34 | 1.84 vs. 1.46 | 0.37 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 99th | 11th | 88 | 5.87 vs. 8.51 | 2.64 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 142nd | 51st | 91 | 6.79 vs. 8.41 | 1.62 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 212nd | 58th | 154 | 13.43 vs. 18.22 | 4.79 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.27 vs. 1.03 | 0.76 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.12 vs. 2.81 | 1.70 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 47th | 10th | 37 | 5.62 vs. 7.41 | 1.79 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 68th | 23rd | 45 | 6.71 vs. 8.30 | 1.60 |
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.