Magic Johnson vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal 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 / Games against each other
Filter: Career Stats - Lakers

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 Shaquille O'Neal, with 19 seasons played from 1993 to 2011, 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. Shaquille O'Neal
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal
Points
88th
9th
17th
5th
Rebounds
154th
15th
20th
5th
Assists
7th
237th
1st
53rd
Steals
23rd
+300th
4th
92nd
Blocks
+300th
8th
139th
4th
Years13191317

Magic Johnson vs. Shaquille O'Neal
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal
Points
82nd
29th
102nd
36th
Rebounds
212nd
32nd
163rd
23rd
Assists
1st
+300th
1st
+300th
Steals
19th
+300th
19th
+300th
Blocks
+300th
15th
+300th
15th

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 Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
88th
9th
79 17,707 vs. 28,59610,889
Rebounds
154th
15th
139 6,559 vs. 13,0996,540
Assists
7th
237th
230 10,141 vs. 3,0267,115
Steals
23rd
+300th
+277 1,724 vs. 739985
Blocks
+300th
8th
+292 374 vs. 2,7322,358
Offensive Rebounds
200th
6th
194 1,601 vs. 4,2092,608
Defensive Rebounds
99th
11th
88 4,958 vs. 8,8903,932
Field Goals Made
117th
7th
110 6,211 vs. 11,3305,119
Field Goals Attempted
166th
23rd
143 11,951 vs. 19,4577,506
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
325 vs. 1324
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
1,074 vs. 221,052
Free Throws Made
42nd
25th
17 4,960 vs. 5,935975
Free Throws Attempted
50th
4th
46 5,850 vs. 11,2525,402

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
262nd
47th
215 906 vs. 1,207301
Seasons
300th
13th
287 13 vs. 196

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
4th
202nd
198 138 vs. 2136

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
139th
21st
118 6 vs. 4943
50+ point games
-
40th
0 vs. 33
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
17th
5th
12 3,701 vs. 5,2501,549
Rebounds
20th
5th
15 1,465 vs. 2,5081,043
Assists
1st
53rd
52 2,346 vs. 5821,764
Steals
4th
92nd
88 358 vs. 117241
Blocks
139th
4th
135 64 vs. 459395
Offensive Rebounds
27th
1st
26 349 vs. 866517
Defensive Rebounds
15th
3rd
12 1,116 vs. 1,642526
Field Goals Made
19th
4th
15 1,291 vs. 2,041750
Field Goals Attempted
25th
7th
18 2,552 vs. 3,6271,075
3-Pointers Made
273rd
+300th
+27 51 vs. 051
3-Pointers Attempted
179th
+300th
+121 212 vs. 0212
Free Throws Made
11th
8th
3 1,068 vs. 1,168100
Free Throws Attempted
12th
2nd
10 1,274 vs. 2,3171,043

Games and Years:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
14th
9th
5 190 vs. 21626
Playoffs
45th
6th
39 13 vs. 174

Triple-Doubles:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
1st
+300th
30 vs. 030

Rankings by Points Scored:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
37th
8th
29 4 vs. 128
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
82nd
29th
53 19.54 vs. 23.694.15
Rebounds per game
212nd
32nd
180 7.24 vs. 10.853.61
Assists per game
1st
+300th
+299 11.19 vs. 2.518.69
Steals per game
19th
+300th
+281 1.90 vs. 0.611.29
Blocks per game
+300th
15th
+285 0.41 vs. 2.261.85
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
10th
+290 1.77 vs. 3.491.72
Defensive Rebounds per game
114th
31st
83 5.47 vs. 7.371.89
Field Goals Made per game
138th
11th
127 6.86 vs. 9.392.53
Field Goals Attempted per game
225th
74th
151 13.19 vs. 16.122.93
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.36 vs. 0.000.36
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.19 vs. 0.021.17
Free Throws Made per game
37th
58th
21 5.47 vs. 4.920.56
Free Throws Attempted per game
54th
5th
49 6.46 vs. 9.322.87

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Magic Johnson Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
102nd
36th
66 19.48 vs. 24.314.83
Rebounds per game
163rd
23rd
140 7.71 vs. 11.613.90
Assists per game
1st
+300th
+299 12.35 vs. 2.699.65
Steals per game
19th
+300th
+281 1.88 vs. 0.541.34
Blocks per game
+300th
15th
+285 0.34 vs. 2.131.79
Offensive Rebounds per game
266th
6th
260 1.84 vs. 4.012.17
Defensive Rebounds per game
99th
27th
72 5.87 vs. 7.601.73
Field Goals Made per game
142nd
22nd
120 6.79 vs. 9.452.65
Field Goals Attempted per game
212nd
83rd
129 13.43 vs. 16.793.36
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.27 vs. 0.000.27
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.12 vs. 0.001.12
Free Throws Made per game
47th
60th
13 5.62 vs. 5.410.21
Free Throws Attempted per game
68th
2nd
66 6.71 vs. 10.734.02

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.