Cross-era · careers 8 years apart

LeBron James vs Magic Johnson

LeBron James 2003-2025 · Forward · active Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

LeBron James (2003-2025) 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, LeBron James was the higher-volume scorer (26.8 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.70× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson created more for others (11.2 assists per game to 7.4). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to Magic Johnson's #7.

Career averages

LeBron JamesStatMagic Johnson
26.8 Points / game 19.6
7.4 Rebounds / game 7.2
7.4 Assists / game 11.2
1.5 Steals / game 1.9
0.7 Blocks / game 0.4
50.8% Field goal % 52.0%
34.7% 3-point % 22.9%
73.7% Free throw % 84.3%
60.8% True shooting % 61.0%
1,622 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

LeBron JamesStatMagic Johnson
2.70× Points vs era avg 1.86×
1.80× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
3.36× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

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

LeBron JamesStatMagic Johnson
113.8 Offensive rating —
107.9 Defensive rating —
5.9 Net rating —
27.2% Usage % —
34.1% Assist % —
10.7% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

LeBron JamesStatMagic Johnson
28.4 Points / game 19.5
9.0 Rebounds / game 7.7
7.2 Assists / game 12.3
1.7 Steals / game 1.9
1.0 Blocks / game 0.3
49.8% Field goal % 50.6%
33.2% 3-point % 18.5%
73.8% Free throw % 83.6%
292 Playoff games 190

Accolades

LeBron JamesStatMagic Johnson
4 MVP awards 3
4 Finals MVP 3
4 Championships 5
21 All-Star selections 11
13 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#3 All-time GOAT rank #7

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.