Cross-era · careers 3 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Nate Thurmond

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Nate Thurmond 1963-1976 · Center

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 3 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Magic Johnson was the higher-volume scorer (19.6 points per game to 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 47.0%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatNate Thurmond
19.6 Points / game 15.0
7.2 Rebounds / game 15.0
11.2 Assists / game 2.7
1.9 Steals / game 0.1
0.4 Blocks / game 0.6
52.0% Field goal % 42.1%
22.9% 3-point % 0.0%
84.3% Free throw % 66.7%
61.0% True shooting % 47.0%
906 Games played 964

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatNate Thurmond
1.86× Points vs era avg 1.36×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 2.76×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 1.22×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatNate Thurmond
19.5 Points / game 11.9
7.7 Rebounds / game 13.6
12.3 Assists / game 2.8
1.9 Steals / game 0.1
0.3 Blocks / game 0.6
50.6% Field goal % 41.2%
18.5% 3-point % 0.0%
83.6% Free throw % 59.7%
190 Playoff games 81

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatNate Thurmond
3 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 0
11 All-Star selections 5
9 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#7 All-time GOAT rank #75

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