Magic Johnson vs Jerry West
Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Jerry West (1960-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 55.0%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Jerry West's #23.
Career averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 19.6 | Points / game | 27.0 |
| 7.2 | Rebounds / game | 5.8 |
| 11.2 | Assists / game | 6.7 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 0.4 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.0% | Field goal % | 47.4% |
| 22.9% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 84.3% | Free throw % | 81.4% |
| 61.0% | True shooting % | 55.0% |
| 906 | Games played | 932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 1.86× | Points vs era avg | 2.34× |
| 1.72× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.99× |
| 4.52× | Assists vs era avg | 2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
Playoff averages
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 19.5 | Points / game | 29.1 |
| 7.7 | Rebounds / game | 5.6 |
| 12.3 | Assists / game | 6.3 |
| 1.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 46.6% |
| 18.5% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 83.6% | Free throw % | 79.1% |
| 190 | Playoff games | 153 |
Accolades
| Magic Johnson | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 3 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 5 | Championships | 1 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #7 | All-time GOAT rank | #23 |
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