Magic Johnson vs. Jayson Tatum: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Magic Johnson and Jayson Tatum 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 Jayson Tatum, with 8 seasons played from 2018 to 2025, 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. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 88th | 211st | 17th | 34th |
| Rebounds | 156th | +300th | 20th | 54th |
| Assists | 8th | +300th | 1st | 51st |
| Steals | 24th | +300th | 4th | 63rd |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 139th | 71st |
| Years | 13 | 8 | 13 | 8 |
Magic Johnson vs. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 84th | 32nd | 102nd | 38th |
| Rebounds | 213rd | 206th | 163rd | 136th |
| Assists | 1st | 258th | 1st | 112nd |
| Steals | 19th | 281st | 19th | 193rd |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | +300th | 195th |
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 | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 88th | 211st | 123 | 17,707 vs. 13,784 | 3,923 |
| Rebounds | 156th | +300th | +144 | 6,559 vs. 4,293 | 2,266 |
| Assists | 8th | +300th | +292 | 10,141 vs. 2,243 | 7,898 |
| Steals | 24th | +300th | +276 | 1,724 vs. 639 | 1,085 |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 374 vs. 384 | 10 | |
| Offensive Rebounds | 201st | +300th | +99 | 1,601 vs. 512 | 1,089 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 100th | 194th | 94 | 4,958 vs. 3,781 | 1,177 |
| Field Goals Made | 118th | 261st | 143 | 6,211 vs. 4,789 | 1,422 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 168th | 262nd | 94 | 11,951 vs. 10,429 | 1,522 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 50th | +250 | 325 vs. 1,546 | 1,221 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 52nd | +248 | 1,074 vs. 4,181 | 3,107 |
| Free Throws Made | 42nd | 230th | 188 | 4,960 vs. 2,660 | 2,300 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 50th | 281st | 231 | 5,850 vs. 3,167 | 2,683 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 263rd | +300th | 906 vs. 585 | 321 | |
| Seasons | 300th | +300th | 13 vs. 8 | 5 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 4th | 135th | 131 | 138 vs. 4 | 134 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 139th | 45th | 94 | 6 vs. 29 | 23 |
| 50+ point games | - | 23rd | 0 vs. 5 | 5 | |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 34th | 17 | 3,701 vs. 2,936 | 765 |
| Rebounds | 20th | 54th | 34 | 1,465 vs. 989 | 476 |
| Assists | 1st | 51st | 50 | 2,346 vs. 592 | 1,754 |
| Steals | 4th | 63rd | 59 | 358 vs. 143 | 215 |
| Blocks | 139th | 71st | 68 | 64 vs. 106 | 42 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 27th | 208th | 181 | 349 vs. 118 | 231 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 29th | 14 | 1,116 vs. 871 | 245 |
| Field Goals Made | 19th | 38th | 19 | 1,291 vs. 983 | 308 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 25th | 33rd | 8 | 2,552 vs. 2,241 | 311 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 273rd | 11th | 262 | 51 vs. 292 | 241 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 179th | 9th | 170 | 212 vs. 840 | 628 |
| Free Throws Made | 11th | 35th | 24 | 1,068 vs. 678 | 390 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 12th | 40th | 28 | 1,274 vs. 806 | 468 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 14th | 103rd | 89 | 190 vs. 121 | 69 |
| Playoffs | 45th | +300th | 13 vs. 8 | 5 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 1st | 39th | 38 | 30 vs. 1 | 29 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 37th | 28th | 9 | 4 vs. 5 | 1 |
| 50+ point games | - | 5th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 84th | 32nd | 52 | 19.54 vs. 23.56 | 4.02 |
| Rebounds per game | 213rd | 206th | 7 | 7.24 vs. 7.34 | 0.10 |
| Assists per game | 1st | 258th | 257 | 11.19 vs. 3.83 | 7.36 |
| Steals per game | 19th | 281st | 262 | 1.90 vs. 1.09 | 0.81 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.41 vs. 0.66 | 0.24 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.77 vs. 0.88 | 0.89 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 115th | 60th | 55 | 5.47 vs. 6.46 | 0.99 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 139th | 46th | 93 | 6.86 vs. 8.19 | 1.33 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 228th | 35th | 193 | 13.19 vs. 17.83 | 4.64 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 0.36 vs. 2.64 | 2.28 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 12th | +288 | 1.19 vs. 7.15 | 5.96 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 37th | 80th | 43 | 5.47 vs. 4.55 | 0.93 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 54th | 107th | 53 | 6.46 vs. 5.41 | 1.04 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 102nd | 38th | 64 | 19.48 vs. 24.26 | 4.79 |
| Rebounds per game | 163rd | 136th | 27 | 7.71 vs. 8.17 | 0.46 |
| Assists per game | 1st | 112nd | 111 | 12.35 vs. 4.89 | 7.45 |
| Steals per game | 19th | 193rd | 174 | 1.88 vs. 1.18 | 0.70 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 195th | +105 | 0.34 vs. 0.88 | 0.54 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 266th | +300th | +34 | 1.84 vs. 0.98 | 0.86 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 99th | 37th | 62 | 5.87 vs. 7.20 | 1.32 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 142nd | 61st | 81 | 6.79 vs. 8.12 | 1.33 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 212nd | 53rd | 159 | 13.43 vs. 18.52 | 5.09 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 0.27 vs. 2.41 | 2.14 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 1.12 vs. 6.94 | 5.83 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 47th | 48th | 1 | 5.62 vs. 5.60 | 0.02 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 68th | 72nd | 4 | 6.71 vs. 6.66 | 0.04 |
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.