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?

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 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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years138138

Magic Johnson vs. Jayson Tatum
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:

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 Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
88th
211st
123 17,707 vs. 13,7843,923
Rebounds
156th
+300th
+144 6,559 vs. 4,2932,266
Assists
8th
+300th
+292 10,141 vs. 2,2437,898
Steals
24th
+300th
+276 1,724 vs. 6391,085
Blocks
+300th
+300th
374 vs. 38410
Offensive Rebounds
201st
+300th
+99 1,601 vs. 5121,089
Defensive Rebounds
100th
194th
94 4,958 vs. 3,7811,177
Field Goals Made
118th
261st
143 6,211 vs. 4,7891,422
Field Goals Attempted
168th
262nd
94 11,951 vs. 10,4291,522
3-Pointers Made
+300th
50th
+250 325 vs. 1,5461,221
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
52nd
+248 1,074 vs. 4,1813,107
Free Throws Made
42nd
230th
188 4,960 vs. 2,6602,300
Free Throws Attempted
50th
281st
231 5,850 vs. 3,1672,683

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
263rd
+300th
906 vs. 585321
Seasons
300th
+300th
13 vs. 85

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
4th
135th
131 138 vs. 4134

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
139th
45th
94 6 vs. 2923
50+ point games
-
23rd
0 vs. 55
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
17th
34th
17 3,701 vs. 2,936765
Rebounds
20th
54th
34 1,465 vs. 989476
Assists
1st
51st
50 2,346 vs. 5921,754
Steals
4th
63rd
59 358 vs. 143215
Blocks
139th
71st
68 64 vs. 10642
Offensive Rebounds
27th
208th
181 349 vs. 118231
Defensive Rebounds
15th
29th
14 1,116 vs. 871245
Field Goals Made
19th
38th
19 1,291 vs. 983308
Field Goals Attempted
25th
33rd
8 2,552 vs. 2,241311
3-Pointers Made
273rd
11th
262 51 vs. 292241
3-Pointers Attempted
179th
9th
170 212 vs. 840628
Free Throws Made
11th
35th
24 1,068 vs. 678390
Free Throws Attempted
12th
40th
28 1,274 vs. 806468

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
14th
103rd
89 190 vs. 12169
Playoffs
45th
+300th
13 vs. 85

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
1st
39th
38 30 vs. 129

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
37th
28th
9 4 vs. 51
50+ point games
-
5th
0 vs. 22
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
84th
32nd
52 19.54 vs. 23.564.02
Rebounds per game
213rd
206th
7 7.24 vs. 7.340.10
Assists per game
1st
258th
257 11.19 vs. 3.837.36
Steals per game
19th
281st
262 1.90 vs. 1.090.81
Blocks per game
+300th
+300th
0.41 vs. 0.660.24
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.77 vs. 0.880.89
Defensive Rebounds per game
115th
60th
55 5.47 vs. 6.460.99
Field Goals Made per game
139th
46th
93 6.86 vs. 8.191.33
Field Goals Attempted per game
228th
35th
193 13.19 vs. 17.834.64
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
13th
+287 0.36 vs. 2.642.28
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
12th
+288 1.19 vs. 7.155.96
Free Throws Made per game
37th
80th
43 5.47 vs. 4.550.93
Free Throws Attempted per game
54th
107th
53 6.46 vs. 5.411.04

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Jayson Tatum Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
102nd
38th
64 19.48 vs. 24.264.79
Rebounds per game
163rd
136th
27 7.71 vs. 8.170.46
Assists per game
1st
112nd
111 12.35 vs. 4.897.45
Steals per game
19th
193rd
174 1.88 vs. 1.180.70
Blocks per game
+300th
195th
+105 0.34 vs. 0.880.54
Offensive Rebounds per game
266th
+300th
+34 1.84 vs. 0.980.86
Defensive Rebounds per game
99th
37th
62 5.87 vs. 7.201.32
Field Goals Made per game
142nd
61st
81 6.79 vs. 8.121.33
Field Goals Attempted per game
212nd
53rd
159 13.43 vs. 18.525.09
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
20th
+280 0.27 vs. 2.412.14
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
13th
+287 1.12 vs. 6.945.83
Free Throws Made per game
47th
48th
1 5.62 vs. 5.600.02
Free Throws Attempted per game
68th
72nd
4 6.71 vs. 6.660.04

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.