Cross-era · careers 8 years apart

Carmelo Anthony vs Magic Johnson

Carmelo Anthony 2003-2021 · Forward Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

Carmelo Anthony (2003-2021) and Magic Johnson (1979-1995) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 8 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Carmelo Anthony was the higher-volume scorer (22.4 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 54.3%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Carmelo Anthony's #63.

Career averages

Carmelo AnthonyStatMagic Johnson
22.4 Points / game 19.6
6.2 Rebounds / game 7.2
2.7 Assists / game 11.2
1.0 Steals / game 1.9
0.5 Blocks / game 0.4
44.4% Field goal % 52.0%
34.3% 3-point % 22.9%
81.6% Free throw % 84.3%
54.3% True shooting % 61.0%
1,260 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Carmelo AnthonyStatMagic Johnson
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.86×
1.50× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
1.29× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.

Carmelo AnthonyStatMagic Johnson
109.9 Offensive rating —
111.0 Defensive rating —
-1.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Carmelo AnthonyStatMagic Johnson
23.1 Points / game 19.5
6.7 Rebounds / game 7.7
2.5 Assists / game 12.3
1.2 Steals / game 1.9
0.4 Blocks / game 0.3
41.3% Field goal % 50.6%
28.5% 3-point % 18.5%
82.7% Free throw % 83.6%
83 Playoff games 190

Accolades

Carmelo AnthonyStatMagic Johnson
0 MVP awards 3
0 Finals MVP 3
0 Championships 5
10 All-Star selections 11
0 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#63 All-time GOAT rank #7

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