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?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
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 | ||||
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 |
| Years | 13 | 19 | 13 | 17 |
Magic Johnson vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
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: |
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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 | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 88th | 9th | 79 | 17,707 vs. 28,596 | 10,889 |
| Rebounds | 154th | 15th | 139 | 6,559 vs. 13,099 | 6,540 |
| Assists | 7th | 237th | 230 | 10,141 vs. 3,026 | 7,115 |
| Steals | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 1,724 vs. 739 | 985 |
| Blocks | +300th | 8th | +292 | 374 vs. 2,732 | 2,358 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 200th | 6th | 194 | 1,601 vs. 4,209 | 2,608 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 99th | 11th | 88 | 4,958 vs. 8,890 | 3,932 |
| Field Goals Made | 117th | 7th | 110 | 6,211 vs. 11,330 | 5,119 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 166th | 23rd | 143 | 11,951 vs. 19,457 | 7,506 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 325 vs. 1 | 324 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,074 vs. 22 | 1,052 | |
| Free Throws Made | 42nd | 25th | 17 | 4,960 vs. 5,935 | 975 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 50th | 4th | 46 | 5,850 vs. 11,252 | 5,402 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 262nd | 47th | 215 | 906 vs. 1,207 | 301 |
| Seasons | 300th | 13th | 287 | 13 vs. 19 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 4th | 202nd | 198 | 138 vs. 2 | 136 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 139th | 21st | 118 | 6 vs. 49 | 43 |
| 50+ point games | - | 40th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 5th | 12 | 3,701 vs. 5,250 | 1,549 |
| Rebounds | 20th | 5th | 15 | 1,465 vs. 2,508 | 1,043 |
| Assists | 1st | 53rd | 52 | 2,346 vs. 582 | 1,764 |
| Steals | 4th | 92nd | 88 | 358 vs. 117 | 241 |
| Blocks | 139th | 4th | 135 | 64 vs. 459 | 395 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 27th | 1st | 26 | 349 vs. 866 | 517 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 3rd | 12 | 1,116 vs. 1,642 | 526 |
| Field Goals Made | 19th | 4th | 15 | 1,291 vs. 2,041 | 750 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 25th | 7th | 18 | 2,552 vs. 3,627 | 1,075 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 273rd | +300th | +27 | 51 vs. 0 | 51 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 179th | +300th | +121 | 212 vs. 0 | 212 |
| Free Throws Made | 11th | 8th | 3 | 1,068 vs. 1,168 | 100 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 12th | 2nd | 10 | 1,274 vs. 2,317 | 1,043 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 14th | 9th | 5 | 190 vs. 216 | 26 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 6th | 39 | 13 vs. 17 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 1st | +300th | 30 vs. 0 | 30 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 37th | 8th | 29 | 4 vs. 12 | 8 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 82nd | 29th | 53 | 19.54 vs. 23.69 | 4.15 |
| Rebounds per game | 212nd | 32nd | 180 | 7.24 vs. 10.85 | 3.61 |
| Assists per game | 1st | +300th | +299 | 11.19 vs. 2.51 | 8.69 |
| Steals per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 1.90 vs. 0.61 | 1.29 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.41 vs. 2.26 | 1.85 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 10th | +290 | 1.77 vs. 3.49 | 1.72 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 114th | 31st | 83 | 5.47 vs. 7.37 | 1.89 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 138th | 11th | 127 | 6.86 vs. 9.39 | 2.53 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 225th | 74th | 151 | 13.19 vs. 16.12 | 2.93 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.36 vs. 0.00 | 0.36 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.19 vs. 0.02 | 1.17 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 37th | 58th | 21 | 5.47 vs. 4.92 | 0.56 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 54th | 5th | 49 | 6.46 vs. 9.32 | 2.87 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 102nd | 36th | 66 | 19.48 vs. 24.31 | 4.83 |
| Rebounds per game | 163rd | 23rd | 140 | 7.71 vs. 11.61 | 3.90 |
| Assists per game | 1st | +300th | +299 | 12.35 vs. 2.69 | 9.65 |
| Steals per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 1.88 vs. 0.54 | 1.34 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.34 vs. 2.13 | 1.79 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 266th | 6th | 260 | 1.84 vs. 4.01 | 2.17 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 99th | 27th | 72 | 5.87 vs. 7.60 | 1.73 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 142nd | 22nd | 120 | 6.79 vs. 9.45 | 2.65 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 212nd | 83rd | 129 | 13.43 vs. 16.79 | 3.36 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.27 vs. 0.00 | 0.27 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.12 vs. 0.00 | 1.12 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 47th | 60th | 13 | 5.62 vs. 5.41 | 0.21 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 68th | 2nd | 66 | 6.71 vs. 10.73 | 4.02 |
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.