Magic Johnson vs Bill Russell
Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 11 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 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Magic Johnson's #7.
Career averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 19.6 | Points / game | 15.1 |
| 7.2 | Rebounds / game | 22.5 |
| 11.2 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.4 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.0% | Field goal % | 44.0% |
| 22.9% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 84.3% | Free throw % | 56.1% |
| 61.0% | True shooting % | 47.1% |
| 906 | Games played | 963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 1.86× | Points vs era avg | 1.32× |
| 1.72× | Rebounds vs era avg | 3.67× |
| 4.52× | Assists vs era avg | 1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Playoff averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 19.5 | Points / game | 16.2 |
| 7.7 | Rebounds / game | 24.9 |
| 12.3 | Assists / game | 4.7 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 42.7% |
| 18.5% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 83.6% | Free throw % | 59.9% |
| 190 | Playoff games | 165 |
Accolades
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 5 |
| 3 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 5 | Championships | 11 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #7 | All-time GOAT rank | #5 |
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