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?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings
Filter: Career Stats - Lakers

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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years14131313

Wilt Chamberlain vs. Magic Johnson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:

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:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
7th
88th
81 31,419 vs. 17,70713,712
Rebounds
1st
154th
153 23,924 vs. 6,55917,365
Assists
86th
7th
79 4,643 vs. 10,1415,498
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. 6,2116,470
Field Goals Attempted
9th
166th
157 23,497 vs. 11,95111,546
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. 4,9601,097
Free Throws Attempted
2nd
50th
48 11,862 vs. 5,8506,012

Games and Years:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
124th
262nd
138 1,045 vs. 906139
Seasons
194th
300th
106 14 vs. 131

Triple-Doubles:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
9th
4th
5 78 vs. 13860

Rankings by Points Scored:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
1st
138th
137 271 vs. 6265
50+ point games
1st
-
118 vs. 0118
60+ point games
1st
-
32 vs. 032
70+ point games
1st
-
6 vs. 06

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
21st
17th
4 3,607 vs. 3,70194
Rebounds
2nd
20th
18 3,913 vs. 1,4652,448
Assists
38th
1st
37 673 vs. 2,3461,673
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. 1,291134
Field Goals Attempted
19th
25th
6 2,728 vs. 2,552176
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. 1,068311
Free Throws Attempted
6th
12th
6 1,627 vs. 1,274353

Games and Years:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
38th
14th
24 160 vs. 19030
Playoffs
45th
45th
0 13 vs. 130

Triple-Doubles:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
10th
1st
9 9 vs. 3021

Rankings by Points Scored:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
6th
37th
31 13 vs. 49
50+ point games
2nd
-
4 vs. 04
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
2nd
82nd
80 30.07 vs. 19.5410.52
Rebounds per game
1st
212nd
211 22.89 vs. 7.2415.65
Assists per game
180th
1st
179 4.44 vs. 11.196.75
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. 6.865.28
Field Goals Attempted per game
3rd
225th
222 22.49 vs. 13.199.29
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. 5.470.32
Free Throws Attempted per game
1st
54th
53 11.35 vs. 6.464.89

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Wilt Chamberlain Magic Johnson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
50th
102nd
52 22.54 vs. 19.483.06
Rebounds per game
2nd
163rd
161 24.46 vs. 7.7116.75
Assists per game
164th
1st
163 4.21 vs. 12.358.14
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. 6.792.11
Field Goals Attempted per game
78th
212nd
134 17.05 vs. 13.433.62
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. 5.620.89
Free Throws Attempted per game
6th
68th
62 10.17 vs. 6.713.46

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.