Cross-era · careers 6 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Oscar Robertson

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Oscar Robertson 1960-1973 · Guard

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Oscar Robertson (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, Oscar Robertson was the higher-volume scorer (25.7 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.21× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 56.4%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Oscar Robertson's #26.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatOscar Robertson
19.6 Points / game 25.7
7.2 Rebounds / game 7.5
11.2 Assists / game 9.5
1.9 Steals / game 0.1
0.4 Blocks / game 0.0
52.0% Field goal % 48.3%
22.9% 3-point % 0.0%
84.3% Free throw % 83.8%
61.0% True shooting % 56.4%
906 Games played 1,040

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatOscar Robertson
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.21×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.27×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 4.26×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Oscar Robertson's era.

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatOscar Robertson
19.5 Points / game 22.2
7.7 Rebounds / game 6.7
12.3 Assists / game 8.9
1.9 Steals / game 0.2
0.3 Blocks / game 0.1
50.6% Field goal % 46.1%
18.5% 3-point % 0.0%
83.6% Free throw % 84.4%
190 Playoff games 86

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatOscar Robertson
3 MVP awards 1
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 1
11 All-Star selections 12
9 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#7 All-time GOAT rank #26

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