Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Kawhi Leonard

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Kawhi Leonard 2011-2025 · Forward · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Kawhi Leonard (2011-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kawhi Leonard was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.03× their league average respectively; Kawhi Leonard was the more efficient scorer (67.2% 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 Kawhi Leonard's #27.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatKawhi Leonard
19.6 Points / game 20.7
7.2 Rebounds / game 6.4
11.2 Assists / game 3.1
1.9 Steals / game 1.7
0.4 Blocks / game 0.6
52.0% Field goal % 49.9%
22.9% 3-point % 38.9%
84.3% Free throw % 85.0%
61.0% True shooting % 67.2%
906 Games played 798

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatKawhi Leonard
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.03×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.55×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 1.36×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatKawhi Leonard
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 105.0
— Net rating 10.0
— Usage % 33.5%
— Assist % 21.0%
— Rebound % 11.5%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatKawhi Leonard
19.5 Points / game 21.5
7.7 Rebounds / game 7.8
12.3 Assists / game 3.0
1.9 Steals / game 1.8
0.3 Blocks / game 0.7
50.6% Field goal % 51.3%
18.5% 3-point % 40.2%
83.6% Free throw % 80.2%
190 Playoff games 146

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatKawhi Leonard
3 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 2
5 Championships 2
11 All-Star selections 7
9 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#7 All-time GOAT rank #27

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