Magic Johnson vs. Karl Malone: Lakers Rankings Comparison
Explore Karl Malone and Magic Johnson career statistics with the Los Angeles Lakers and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how Magic Johnson and Karl Malone truly stack up based solely on their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.
Considering Magic Johnson's 13 seasons (1980 to 1996) and Karl Malone's season (2004) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Lakers 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 franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.
Magic Johnson vs. Karl Malone: | ||||
Season | Playoffs | |||
Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | |
Points | 5th | +150th | 4th | 69th |
Rebounds | 4th | +150th | 5th | 47th |
Assists | 1st | +150th | 1st | 52nd |
Steals | 2nd | 133rd | 1st | 35th |
Blocks | 15th | 150th | 15th | 92nd |
Years | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
Magic Johnson vs. Karl Malone: | ||||
Season | Playoffs | |||
Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | |
Points | 10th | 49th | 11th | 45th |
Rebounds | 33rd | 20th | 26th | 15th |
Assists | 1st | 28th | 1st | 27th |
Steals | 2nd | 26th | 2nd | 26th |
Blocks | 81st | 65th | 58th | 122nd |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Lakers Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 5th | +150th | +145 | 17,707 vs. 554 | 17,153 |
Rebounds | 4th | +150th | +146 | 6,559 vs. 367 | 6,192 |
Assists | 1st | +150th | +149 | 10,141 vs. 163 | 9,978 |
Steals | 2nd | 133rd | 131 | 1,724 vs. 50 | 1,674 |
Blocks | 15th | 150th | 135 | 374 vs. 20 | 354 |
Offensive Rebounds | 4th | +150th | +146 | 1,601 vs. 61 | 1,540 |
Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 103rd | 100 | 4,958 vs. 306 | 4,652 |
Field Goals Made | 6th | +150th | +144 | 6,211 vs. 193 | 6,018 |
Field Goals Attempted | 6th | +150th | +144 | 11,951 vs. 400 | 11,551 |
3-Pointers Made | 19th | +150th | +131 | 325 vs. 0 | 325 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 16th | +150th | +134 | 1,074 vs. 1 | 1,073 |
Free Throws Made | 4th | 140th | 136 | 4,960 vs. 168 | 4,792 |
Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 144th | 140 | 5,850 vs. 225 | 5,625 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 6th | +150th | 906 vs. 42 | 864 | |
Seasons | 5th | +150th | 13 vs. 1 | 12 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 10th | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Lakers Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 4th | 69th | 65 | 3,701 vs. 242 | 3,459 |
Rebounds | 5th | 47th | 42 | 1,465 vs. 185 | 1,280 |
Assists | 1st | 52nd | 51 | 2,346 vs. 72 | 2,274 |
Steals | 1st | 35th | 34 | 358 vs. 24 | 334 |
Blocks | 15th | 92nd | 77 | 64 vs. 2 | 62 |
Offensive Rebounds | 3rd | 34th | 31 | 349 vs. 37 | 312 |
Defensive Rebounds | 1st | 25th | 24 | 1,116 vs. 148 | 968 |
Field Goals Made | 6th | 66th | 60 | 1,291 vs. 98 | 1,193 |
Field Goals Attempted | 5th | 69th | 64 | 2,552 vs. 218 | 2,334 |
3-Pointers Made | 13th | +150th | +137 | 51 vs. 0 | 51 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 8th | 109th | 101 | 212 vs. 1 | 211 |
Free Throws Made | 3rd | 69th | 66 | 1,068 vs. 46 | 1,022 |
Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 64th | 60 | 1,274 vs. 73 | 1,201 |
Games and Years: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 3rd | 101st | 98 | 190 vs. 21 | 169 |
Playoffs | 2nd | 148th | 146 | 13 vs. 1 | 12 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 6th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Lakers Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 10th | 49th | 39 | 19.54 vs. 13.19 | 6.35 |
Rebounds per game | 33rd | 20th | 13 | 7.24 vs. 8.74 | 1.50 |
Assists per game | 1st | 28th | 27 | 11.19 vs. 3.88 | 7.31 |
Steals per game | 2nd | 26th | 24 | 1.90 vs. 1.19 | 0.71 |
Blocks per game | 81st | 65th | 16 | 0.41 vs. 0.48 | 0.06 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 41st | 58th | 17 | 1.77 vs. 1.45 | 0.31 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 16th | 5th | 11 | 5.47 vs. 7.29 | 1.81 |
Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 64th | 48 | 6.86 vs. 4.60 | 2.26 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 21st | 67th | 46 | 13.19 vs. 9.52 | 3.67 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 99th | +150th | +51 | 0.36 vs. 0.00 | 0.36 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 96th | +150th | +54 | 1.19 vs. 0.02 | 1.16 |
Free Throws Made per game | 7th | 17th | 10 | 5.47 vs. 4.00 | 1.47 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 9th | 15th | 6 | 6.46 vs. 5.36 | 1.10 |
Lakers Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Magic Johnson | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 11th | 45th | 34 | 19.48 vs. 11.52 | 7.96 |
Rebounds per game | 26th | 15th | 11 | 7.71 vs. 8.81 | 1.10 |
Assists per game | 1st | 27th | 26 | 12.35 vs. 3.43 | 8.92 |
Steals per game | 2nd | 26th | 24 | 1.88 vs. 1.14 | 0.74 |
Blocks per game | 58th | 122nd | 64 | 0.34 vs. 0.10 | 0.24 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 28th | 31st | 3 | 1.84 vs. 1.76 | 0.07 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 13th | 6th | 7 | 5.87 vs. 7.05 | 1.17 |
Field Goals Made per game | 15th | 39th | 24 | 6.79 vs. 4.67 | 2.13 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 20th | 45th | 25 | 13.43 vs. 10.38 | 3.05 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 67th | +150th | +83 | 0.27 vs. 0.00 | 0.27 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 64th | 111st | 47 | 1.12 vs. 0.05 | 1.07 |
Free Throws Made per game | 8th | 51st | 43 | 5.62 vs. 2.19 | 3.43 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 9th | 40th | 31 | 6.71 vs. 3.48 | 3.23 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Lakers franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.