Magic Johnson vs. Jerry West: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Magic Johnson and Jerry West 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 Jerry West, with 14 seasons played from 1961 to 1974, 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. Jerry West | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | |
| Points | 88th | 27th | 17th | 9th |
| Rebounds | 156th | 245th | 20th | 72nd |
| Assists | 7th | 37th | 1st | 17th |
| Steals | 24th | +300th | 4th | +300th |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 139th | +300th |
| Years | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Magic Johnson vs. Jerry West | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | |
| Points | 84th | 7th | 102nd | 5th |
| Rebounds | 213rd | +300th | 163rd | +300th |
| Assists | 1st | 43rd | 1st | 44th |
| Steals | 19th | +300th | 19th | +300th |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
* Some years in Jerry West's career don't have data for these stats.
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 | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 88th | 27th | 61 | 17,707 vs. 25,192 | 7,485 |
| Rebounds | 156th | 245th | 89 | 6,559 vs. 5,366 | 1,193 |
| Assists | 7th | 37th | 30 | 10,141 vs. 6,238 | 3,903 |
| Steals | 24th | +300th | +276 | 1,724 vs. 81 | 1,643 |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 374 vs. 23 | 351 | |
| Offensive Rebounds | 201st | +300th | +99 | 1,601 vs. 30 | 1,571 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 100th | +300th | +200 | 4,958 vs. 86 | 4,872 |
| Field Goals Made | 118th | 25th | 93 | 6,211 vs. 9,016 | 2,805 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 168th | 27th | 141 | 11,951 vs. 19,032 | 7,081 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 325 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 1,074 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 42nd | 10th | 32 | 4,960 vs. 7,160 | 2,200 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 50th | 11th | 39 | 5,850 vs. 8,801 | 2,951 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 262nd | 226th | 36 | 906 vs. 932 | 26 |
| Seasons | 300th | 194th | 106 | 13 vs. 14 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 4th | 41st | 37 | 138 vs. 16 | 122 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 139th | 14th | 125 | 6 vs. 66 | 60 |
| 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 | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 9th | 8 | 3,701 vs. 4,457 | 756 |
| Rebounds | 20th | 72nd | 52 | 1,465 vs. 855 | 610 |
| Assists | 1st | 17th | 16 | 2,346 vs. 970 | 1,376 |
| Steals | 4th | +300th | +296 | 358 vs. 0 | 358 |
| Blocks | 139th | +300th | +161 | 64 vs. 0 | 64 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 27th | +300th | +273 | 349 vs. 0 | 349 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 15th | +300th | +285 | 1,116 vs. 2 | 1,114 |
| Field Goals Made | 19th | 9th | 10 | 1,291 vs. 1,622 | 331 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 25th | 10th | 15 | 2,552 vs. 3,460 | 908 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 273rd | n/a | 51 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 179th | n/a | 212 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 11th | 7th | 4 | 1,068 vs. 1,213 | 145 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 12th | 8th | 4 | 1,274 vs. 1,506 | 232 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 14th | 44th | 30 | 190 vs. 153 | 37 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 45th | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 1st | 38th | 37 | 30 vs. 1 | 29 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 37th | 3rd | 34 | 4 vs. 20 | 16 |
| 50+ point games | - | 5th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 84th | 7th | 77 | 19.54 vs. 27.03 | 7.49 |
| Rebounds per game | 213rd | +300th | +87 | 7.24 vs. 5.76 | 1.48 |
| Assists per game | 1st | 43rd | 42 | 11.19 vs. 6.69 | 4.50 |
| Steals per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 1.90 vs. 2.61 | 0.71 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.41 vs. 0.74 | 0.33 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.77 vs. 0.97 | 0.80 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 115th | +300th | +185 | 5.47 vs. 2.77 | 2.70 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 138th | 8th | 130 | 6.86 vs. 9.67 | 2.82 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 227th | 8th | 219 | 13.19 vs. 20.42 | 7.23 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.36 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 1.19 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 37th | 3rd | 34 | 5.47 vs. 7.68 | 2.21 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 54th | 4th | 50 | 6.46 vs. 9.44 | 2.99 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Jerry West | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 102nd | 5th | 97 | 19.48 vs. 29.13 | 9.65 |
| Rebounds per game | 163rd | +300th | +137 | 7.71 vs. 5.59 | 2.12 |
| Assists per game | 1st | 44th | 43 | 12.35 vs. 6.34 | 6.01 |
| Steals per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 1.88 vs. 0.00 | 1.88 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.34 vs. 0.00 | 0.34 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 266th | +300th | +34 | 1.84 vs. 0.00 | 1.84 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 99th | +300th | +201 | 5.87 vs. 2.00 | 3.87 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 142nd | 5th | 137 | 6.79 vs. 10.60 | 3.81 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 212nd | 9th | 203 | 13.43 vs. 22.61 | 9.18 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.27 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 1.12 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 47th | 6th | 41 | 5.62 vs. 7.93 | 2.31 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 68th | 9th | 59 | 6.71 vs. 9.84 | 3.14 |
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.