Wilt Chamberlain vs. Magic Johnson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Wilt Chamberlain 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 Wilt Chamberlain 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 Wilt Chamberlain, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1960 to 1973, 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.
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | 7th | 88th | 21st | 17th |
| Rebounds | 1st | 154th | 2nd | 20th |
| Assists | 86th | 7th | 38th | 1st |
| Steals | n/a | 23rd | n/a | 4th |
| Blocks | n/a | +300th | n/a | 139th |
| Years | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Magic Johnson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | |
| Points | 2nd | 82nd | 50th | 102nd |
| Rebounds | 1st | 212nd | 2nd | 163rd |
| Assists | 180th | 1st | 164th | 1st |
| Steals | n/a | 19th | n/a | 19th |
| Blocks | n/a | +300th | n/a | +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.
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: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 7th | 88th | 81 | 31,419 vs. 17,707 | 13,712 |
| Rebounds | 1st | 154th | 153 | 23,924 vs. 6,559 | 17,365 |
| Assists | 86th | 7th | 79 | 4,643 vs. 10,141 | 5,498 |
| Steals | n/a | 23rd | 0 vs. 1,724 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 374 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 200th | 0 vs. 1,601 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 99th | 0 vs. 4,958 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 117th | 113 | 12,681 vs. 6,211 | 6,470 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 9th | 166th | 157 | 23,497 vs. 11,951 | 11,546 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 325 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 1,074 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 21st | 41st | 20 | 6,057 vs. 4,960 | 1,097 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 50th | 48 | 11,862 vs. 5,850 | 6,012 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 124th | 262nd | 138 | 1,045 vs. 906 | 139 |
| Seasons | 194th | 300th | 106 | 14 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 9th | 4th | 5 | 78 vs. 138 | 60 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 1st | 138th | 137 | 271 vs. 6 | 265 |
| 50+ point games | 1st | - | 118 vs. 0 | 118 | |
| 60+ point games | 1st | - | 32 vs. 0 | 32 | |
| 70+ point games | 1st | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 21st | 17th | 4 | 3,607 vs. 3,701 | 94 |
| Rebounds | 2nd | 20th | 18 | 3,913 vs. 1,465 | 2,448 |
| Assists | 38th | 1st | 37 | 673 vs. 2,346 | 1,673 |
| Steals | n/a | 4th | 0 vs. 358 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 139th | 0 vs. 64 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 27th | 0 vs. 349 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 15th | 0 vs. 1,116 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 19th | 4 | 1,425 vs. 1,291 | 134 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 19th | 25th | 6 | 2,728 vs. 2,552 | 176 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | 273rd | 0 vs. 51 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | 179th | 0 vs. 212 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 23rd | 11th | 12 | 757 vs. 1,068 | 311 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 12th | 6 | 1,627 vs. 1,274 | 353 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 38th | 14th | 24 | 160 vs. 190 | 30 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 45th | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 10th | 1st | 9 | 9 vs. 30 | 21 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 6th | 37th | 31 | 13 vs. 4 | 9 |
| 50+ point games | 2nd | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 2nd | 82nd | 80 | 30.07 vs. 19.54 | 10.52 |
| Rebounds per game | 1st | 212nd | 211 | 22.89 vs. 7.24 | 15.65 |
| Assists per game | 180th | 1st | 179 | 4.44 vs. 11.19 | 6.75 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 19th | 0.00 vs. 1.90 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.41 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 1.77 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 114th | 0.00 vs. 5.47 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 137th | 136 | 12.13 vs. 6.86 | 5.28 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 3rd | 225th | 222 | 22.49 vs. 13.19 | 9.29 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.36 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 1.19 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 26th | 37th | 11 | 5.80 vs. 5.47 | 0.32 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 54th | 53 | 11.35 vs. 6.46 | 4.89 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Magic Johnson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 50th | 102nd | 52 | 22.54 vs. 19.48 | 3.06 |
| Rebounds per game | 2nd | 163rd | 161 | 24.46 vs. 7.71 | 16.75 |
| Assists per game | 164th | 1st | 163 | 4.21 vs. 12.35 | 8.14 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 19th | 0.00 vs. 1.88 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.34 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 266th | 0.00 vs. 1.84 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 99th | 0.00 vs. 5.87 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 36th | 142nd | 106 | 8.91 vs. 6.79 | 2.11 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 78th | 212nd | 134 | 17.05 vs. 13.43 | 3.62 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.27 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 1.12 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 95th | 47th | 48 | 4.73 vs. 5.62 | 0.89 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 68th | 62 | 10.17 vs. 6.71 | 3.46 |
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.