Cross-era · careers 12 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Kevin Durant

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Kevin Durant 2007-2025 · Forward · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Kevin Durant (2007-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 12 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kevin Durant was the higher-volume scorer (27.8 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.79× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 58.7%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Kevin Durant's #17.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatKevin Durant
19.6 Points / game 27.8
7.2 Rebounds / game 7.1
11.2 Assists / game 4.7
1.9 Steals / game 1.0
0.4 Blocks / game 1.2
52.0% Field goal % 51.1%
22.9% 3-point % 39.3%
84.3% Free throw % 88.2%
61.0% True shooting % 58.7%
906 Games played 1,047

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatKevin Durant
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.79×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.74×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 2.08×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatKevin Durant
— Offensive rating 116.9
— Defensive rating 107.6
— Net rating 9.3
— Usage % 27.1%
— Assist % 20.7%
— Rebound % 8.3%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatKevin Durant
19.5 Points / game 29.3
7.7 Rebounds / game 7.8
12.3 Assists / game 4.2
1.9 Steals / game 1.0
0.3 Blocks / game 1.2
50.6% Field goal % 48.0%
18.5% 3-point % 35.5%
83.6% Free throw % 86.9%
190 Playoff games 170

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatKevin Durant
3 MVP awards 1
3 Finals MVP 2
5 Championships 2
11 All-Star selections 13
9 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#7 All-time GOAT rank #17

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