Elgin Baylor vs Magic Johnson
Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) 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, Elgin Baylor was the higher-volume scorer (27.4 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 49.4%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Elgin Baylor's #30.
Career averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Magic Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| 27.4 | Points / game | 19.6 |
| 13.5 | Rebounds / game | 7.2 |
| 4.3 | Assists / game | 11.2 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.4 |
| 43.1% | Field goal % | 52.0% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 22.9% |
| 78.0% | Free throw % | 84.3% |
| 49.4% | True shooting % | 61.0% |
| 846 | Games played | 906 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Magic Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| 2.34× | Points vs era avg | 1.86× |
| 2.21× | Rebounds vs era avg | 1.72× |
| 1.97× | Assists vs era avg | 4.52× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.
Playoff averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Magic Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| 27.0 | Points / game | 19.5 |
| 12.9 | Rebounds / game | 7.7 |
| 4.0 | Assists / game | 12.3 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 43.4% | Field goal % | 50.6% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 18.5% |
| 75.3% | Free throw % | 83.6% |
| 134 | Playoff games | 190 |
Accolades
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Magic Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 3 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 3 |
| 1 | Championships | 5 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 10 | All-NBA 1st Team | 9 |
| #30 | All-time GOAT rank | #7 |
More comparisons
Compare Elgin Baylor with…
Compare Magic Johnson with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.