Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Dwight Howard vs Magic Johnson

Dwight Howard 2004-2021 · Center-Forward Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Magic Johnson (1979-1995) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Magic Johnson was the higher-volume scorer (19.6 points per game to 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 60.3%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.

Career averages

Dwight HowardStatMagic Johnson
15.7 Points / game 19.6
11.8 Rebounds / game 7.2
1.3 Assists / game 11.2
0.9 Steals / game 1.9
1.8 Blocks / game 0.4
59.3% Field goal % 52.0%
15.8% 3-point % 22.9%
57.0% Free throw % 84.3%
60.3% True shooting % 61.0%
1,242 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dwight HowardStatMagic Johnson
1.61× Points vs era avg 1.86×
2.85× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
0.64× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

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

Dwight HowardStatMagic Johnson
107.3 Offensive rating —
106.8 Defensive rating —
0.5 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dwight HowardStatMagic Johnson
15.3 Points / game 19.5
11.8 Rebounds / game 7.7
1.2 Assists / game 12.3
0.8 Steals / game 1.9
2.0 Blocks / game 0.3
59.3% Field goal % 50.6%
7.2% 3-point % 18.5%
54.8% Free throw % 83.6%
125 Playoff games 190

Accolades

Dwight HowardStatMagic Johnson
0 MVP awards 3
0 Finals MVP 3
1 Championships 5
8 All-Star selections 11
5 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#48 All-time GOAT rank #7

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