Cross-era · careers 24 years apart

Magic Johnson vs George Mikan

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard George Mikan 1948-1955 · Center

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and George Mikan (1948-1955) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 24 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, George Mikan was the higher-volume scorer (23.1 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.71× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 48.3%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to George Mikan's #34.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatGeorge Mikan
19.6 Points / game 23.1
7.2 Rebounds / game 9.5
11.2 Assists / game 2.8
1.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.4 Blocks / game 0.0
52.0% Field goal % 40.2%
22.9% 3-point % 0.0%
84.3% Free throw % 78.1%
61.0% True shooting % 48.3%
906 Games played 439

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatGeorge Mikan
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.71×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 2.55×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 1.37×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in George Mikan's era.

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatGeorge Mikan
19.5 Points / game 22.9
7.7 Rebounds / game 11.1
12.3 Assists / game 2.2
1.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.3 Blocks / game 0.0
50.6% Field goal % 39.8%
18.5% 3-point % 0.0%
83.6% Free throw % 78.3%
190 Playoff games 60

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatGeorge Mikan
3 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 5
11 All-Star selections 4
9 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#7 All-time GOAT rank #34

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