Magic Johnson vs Bob Pettit
Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 15 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 51.1%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 19.6 | Points / game | 26.4 |
| 7.2 | Rebounds / game | 16.2 |
| 11.2 | Assists / game | 3.0 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.4 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.0% | Field goal % | 43.5% |
| 22.9% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 84.3% | Free throw % | 76.2% |
| 61.0% | True shooting % | 51.1% |
| 906 | Games played | 792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 1.86× | Points vs era avg | 2.33× |
| 1.72× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.61× |
| 4.52× | Assists vs era avg | 1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
Playoff averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 19.5 | Points / game | 25.5 |
| 7.7 | Rebounds / game | 14.8 |
| 12.3 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 41.4% |
| 18.5% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 83.6% | Free throw % | 77.9% |
| 190 | Playoff games | 88 |
Accolades
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 2 |
| 3 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 5 | Championships | 1 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #7 | All-time GOAT rank | #22 |
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