Tim Duncan vs. Magic Johnson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Ever wondered how Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson truly stack up against each other? This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Tim Duncan, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1998 to 2016, 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.
Tim Duncan vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | 17th | 88th | 6th | 17th |
| Rebounds | 6th | 156th | 3rd | 20th |
| Assists | 110th | 7th | 33rd | 1st |
| Steals | 172nd | 24th | 48th | 4th |
| Blocks | 5th | +300th | 1st | 139th |
| Years | 19 | 13 | 18 | 13 |
Tim Duncan vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | 98th | 83rd | 81st | 102nd |
| Rebounds | 33rd | 213rd | 26th | 163rd |
| Assists | +300th | 1st | +300th | 1st |
| Steals | +300th | 19th | +300th | 19th |
| Blocks | 21st | +300th | 10th | +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: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 88th | 71 | 26,496 vs. 17,707 | 8,789 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 156th | 150 | 15,091 vs. 6,559 | 8,532 |
| Assists | 110th | 7th | 103 | 4,225 vs. 10,141 | 5,916 |
| Steals | 172nd | 24th | 148 | 1,025 vs. 1,724 | 699 |
| Blocks | 5th | +300th | +295 | 3,020 vs. 374 | 2,646 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 11th | 201st | 190 | 3,859 vs. 1,601 | 2,258 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 99th | 96 | 11,232 vs. 4,958 | 6,274 |
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 118th | 103 | 10,285 vs. 6,211 | 4,074 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 18th | 167th | 149 | 20,334 vs. 11,951 | 8,383 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 30 vs. 325 | 295 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 168 vs. 1,074 | 906 | |
| Free Throws Made | 26th | 42nd | 16 | 5,896 vs. 4,960 | 936 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 15th | 50th | 35 | 8,468 vs. 5,850 | 2,618 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 11th | 262nd | 251 | 1,392 vs. 906 | 486 |
| Seasons | 13th | 300th | 287 | 19 vs. 13 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 134th | 4th | 130 | 4 vs. 138 | 134 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 152nd | 139th | 13 | 5 vs. 6 | 1 |
| 50+ point games | 76th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 6th | 17th | 11 | 5,172 vs. 3,701 | 1,471 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 20th | 17 | 2,859 vs. 1,465 | 1,394 |
| Assists | 33rd | 1st | 32 | 764 vs. 2,346 | 1,582 |
| Steals | 48th | 4th | 44 | 168 vs. 358 | 190 |
| Blocks | 1st | 139th | 138 | 568 vs. 64 | 504 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2nd | 27th | 25 | 778 vs. 349 | 429 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 15th | 13 | 2,081 vs. 1,116 | 965 |
| Field Goals Made | 6th | 19th | 13 | 1,975 vs. 1,291 | 684 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 5th | 25th | 20 | 3,939 vs. 2,552 | 1,387 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 273rd | +27 | 5 vs. 51 | 46 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 179th | +121 | 35 vs. 212 | 177 |
| Free Throws Made | 6th | 11th | 5 | 1,217 vs. 1,068 | 149 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 3rd | 12th | 9 | 1,766 vs. 1,274 | 492 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 14th | 11 | 251 vs. 190 | 61 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 45th | 42 | 18 vs. 13 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 13th | 1st | 12 | 4 vs. 30 | 26 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 36th | 37th | 1 | 4 vs. 4 | 0 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 98th | 83rd | 15 | 19.03 vs. 19.54 | 0.51 |
| Rebounds per game | 33rd | 213rd | 180 | 10.84 vs. 7.24 | 3.60 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 1st | +299 | 3.04 vs. 11.19 | 8.16 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 19th | +281 | 0.74 vs. 1.90 | 1.17 |
| Blocks per game | 21st | +300th | +279 | 2.17 vs. 0.41 | 1.76 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 54th | +300th | +246 | 2.77 vs. 1.77 | 1.01 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 10th | 115th | 105 | 8.07 vs. 5.47 | 2.60 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 85th | 137th | 52 | 7.39 vs. 6.86 | 0.53 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 141st | 226th | 85 | 14.61 vs. 13.19 | 1.42 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.36 | 0.34 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.12 vs. 1.19 | 1.06 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 104th | 37th | 67 | 4.24 vs. 5.47 | 1.24 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 73rd | 54th | 19 | 6.08 vs. 6.46 | 0.37 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 81st | 102nd | 21 | 20.61 vs. 19.48 | 1.13 |
| Rebounds per game | 26th | 163rd | 137 | 11.39 vs. 7.71 | 3.68 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 1st | +299 | 3.04 vs. 12.35 | 9.30 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 19th | +281 | 0.67 vs. 1.88 | 1.21 |
| Blocks per game | 10th | +300th | +290 | 2.26 vs. 0.34 | 1.93 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 39th | 266th | 227 | 3.10 vs. 1.84 | 1.26 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 15th | 99th | 84 | 8.29 vs. 5.87 | 2.42 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 71st | 142nd | 71 | 7.87 vs. 6.79 | 1.07 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 118th | 212nd | 94 | 15.69 vs. 13.43 | 2.26 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.27 | 0.25 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.14 vs. 1.12 | 0.98 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 87th | 47th | 40 | 4.85 vs. 5.62 | 0.77 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 51st | 68th | 17 | 7.04 vs. 6.71 | 0.33 |
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.