Cross-era · careers 18 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Giannis Antetokounmpo

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-2025 · Forward · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2013-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 18 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the higher-volume scorer (24.1 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.32× their league average respectively; Giannis Antetokounmpo was the more efficient scorer (63.5% true shooting to 61.0%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Giannis Antetokounmpo's #20.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatGiannis Antetokounmpo
19.6 Points / game 24.1
7.2 Rebounds / game 9.9
11.2 Assists / game 5.0
1.9 Steals / game 1.1
0.4 Blocks / game 1.2
52.0% Field goal % 54.1%
22.9% 3-point % 27.4%
84.3% Free throw % 69.8%
61.0% True shooting % 63.5%
906 Games played 895

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatGiannis Antetokounmpo
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.32×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 2.38×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 2.17×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatGiannis Antetokounmpo
— Offensive rating 111.6
— Defensive rating 106.0
— Net rating 5.6
— Usage % 37.0%
— Assist % 38.7%
— Rebound % 19.2%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatGiannis Antetokounmpo
19.5 Points / game 27.0
7.7 Rebounds / game 12.2
12.3 Assists / game 5.3
1.9 Steals / game 1.0
0.3 Blocks / game 1.3
50.6% Field goal % 52.7%
18.5% 3-point % 23.7%
83.6% Free throw % 62.6%
190 Playoff games 84

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatGiannis Antetokounmpo
3 MVP awards 2
3 Finals MVP 1
5 Championships 1
11 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 7
#7 All-time GOAT rank #20

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