Cross-era · careers 17 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Damian Lillard

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 17 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 59.0%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatDamian Lillard
19.6 Points / game 25.1
7.2 Rebounds / game 4.3
11.2 Assists / game 6.8
1.9 Steals / game 1.0
0.4 Blocks / game 0.3
52.0% Field goal % 43.8%
22.9% 3-point % 37.1%
84.3% Free throw % 89.5%
61.0% True shooting % 59.0%
906 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatDamian Lillard
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.48×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatDamian Lillard
19.5 Points / game 25.2
7.7 Rebounds / game 4.4
12.3 Assists / game 6.1
1.9 Steals / game 1.2
0.3 Blocks / game 0.3
50.6% Field goal % 40.5%
18.5% 3-point % 35.5%
83.6% Free throw % 88.9%
190 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatDamian Lillard
3 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 0
11 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#7 All-time GOAT rank #69

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