Penny Hardaway vs. Magic Johnson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson 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 Penny Hardaway, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1994 to 2008, and Magic Johnson, with 13 seasons played from 1980 to 1996, 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.
Penny Hardaway vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | +300th | 88th | 174th | 17th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 154th | +300th | 20th |
| Assists | 179th | 7th | 87th | 1st |
| Steals | 128th | 23rd | 87th | 4th |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 190th | 139th |
| Years | 14 | 13 | 8 | 13 |
Penny Hardaway vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | 270th | 82nd | 85th | 102nd |
| Rebounds | +300th | 212nd | +300th | 163rd |
| Assists | 127th | 1st | 52nd | 1st |
| Steals | 56th | 19th | 20th | 19th |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 268th | +300th |
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: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | +300th | 88th | +212 | 10,684 vs. 17,707 | 7,023 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 154th | +146 | 3,146 vs. 6,559 | 3,413 |
| Assists | 179th | 7th | 172 | 3,525 vs. 10,141 | 6,616 |
| Steals | 128th | 23rd | 105 | 1,125 vs. 1,724 | 599 |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 312 vs. 374 | 62 | |
| Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 200th | +100 | 975 vs. 1,601 | 626 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 99th | +201 | 2,171 vs. 4,958 | 2,787 |
| Field Goals Made | +300th | 117th | +183 | 3,995 vs. 6,211 | 2,216 |
| Field Goals Attempted | +300th | 166th | +134 | 8,731 vs. 11,951 | 3,220 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 503 vs. 325 | 178 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,591 vs. 1,074 | 517 | |
| Free Throws Made | +300th | 41st | +259 | 2,191 vs. 4,960 | 2,769 |
| Free Throws Attempted | +300th | 50th | +250 | 2,831 vs. 5,850 | 3,019 |
Games and Years: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 262nd | +38 | 704 vs. 906 | 202 |
| Seasons | 194th | 300th | 106 | 14 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 109th | 4th | 105 | 5 vs. 138 | 133 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | +300th | 138th | +162 | 1 vs. 6 | 5 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 174th | 17th | 157 | 1,304 vs. 3,701 | 2,397 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 20th | +280 | 303 vs. 1,465 | 1,162 |
| Assists | 87th | 1st | 86 | 394 vs. 2,346 | 1,952 |
| Steals | 87th | 4th | 83 | 119 vs. 358 | 239 |
| Blocks | 190th | 139th | 51 | 48 vs. 64 | 16 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 252nd | 27th | 225 | 101 vs. 349 | 248 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 15th | +285 | 202 vs. 1,116 | 914 |
| Field Goals Made | 185th | 19th | 166 | 456 vs. 1,291 | 835 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 183rd | 25th | 158 | 1,018 vs. 2,552 | 1,534 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 113rd | 273rd | 160 | 101 vs. 51 | 50 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 128th | 179th | 51 | 266 vs. 212 | 54 |
| Free Throws Made | 147th | 11th | 136 | 291 vs. 1,068 | 777 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 147th | 12th | 135 | 390 vs. 1,274 | 884 |
Games and Years: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 14th | +286 | 64 vs. 190 | 126 |
| Playoffs | +300th | 45th | +255 | 8 vs. 13 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 39th | 1st | 38 | 1 vs. 30 | 29 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 55th | 37th | 18 | 2 vs. 4 | 2 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 270th | 82nd | 188 | 15.18 vs. 19.54 | 4.37 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 212nd | +88 | 4.47 vs. 7.24 | 2.77 |
| Assists per game | 127th | 1st | 126 | 5.01 vs. 11.19 | 6.19 |
| Steals per game | 56th | 19th | 37 | 1.60 vs. 1.90 | 0.30 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.44 vs. 0.41 | 0.03 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.38 vs. 1.77 | 0.38 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 114th | +186 | 3.08 vs. 5.47 | 2.39 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 289th | 137th | 152 | 5.67 vs. 6.86 | 1.18 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 290th | 225th | 65 | 12.40 vs. 13.19 | 0.79 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.71 vs. 0.36 | 0.36 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.26 vs. 1.19 | 1.07 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 254th | 37th | 217 | 3.11 vs. 5.47 | 2.36 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 261st | 54th | 207 | 4.02 vs. 6.46 | 2.44 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Penny Hardaway | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 85th | 102nd | 17 | 20.38 vs. 19.48 | 0.90 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 163rd | +137 | 4.73 vs. 7.71 | 2.98 |
| Assists per game | 52nd | 1st | 51 | 6.16 vs. 12.35 | 6.19 |
| Steals per game | 20th | 19th | 1 | 1.86 vs. 1.88 | 0.02 |
| Blocks per game | 268th | +300th | +32 | 0.75 vs. 0.34 | 0.41 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 266th | +34 | 1.58 vs. 1.84 | 0.26 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 99th | +201 | 3.16 vs. 5.87 | 2.72 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 116th | 142nd | 26 | 7.13 vs. 6.79 | 0.33 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 112nd | 212nd | 100 | 15.91 vs. 13.43 | 2.47 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 131st | +300th | +169 | 1.58 vs. 0.27 | 1.31 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 152nd | +300th | +148 | 4.16 vs. 1.12 | 3.04 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 107th | 47th | 60 | 4.55 vs. 5.62 | 1.07 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 96th | 68th | 28 | 6.09 vs. 6.71 | 0.61 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 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 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.