Cross-era · careers 23 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 23 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% 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 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
19.6 Points / game 25.3
7.2 Rebounds / game 4.7
11.2 Assists / game 5.3
1.9 Steals / game 1.4
0.4 Blocks / game 0.8
52.0% Field goal % 50.4%
22.9% 3-point % 35.9%
84.3% Free throw % 85.1%
61.0% True shooting % 70.3%
906 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.37×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
19.5 Points / game 25.8
7.7 Rebounds / game 5.4
12.3 Assists / game 5.7
1.9 Steals / game 1.4
0.3 Blocks / game 1.0
50.6% Field goal % 46.6%
18.5% 3-point % 36.1%
83.6% Free throw % 86.7%
190 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
3 MVP awards 2
3 Finals MVP 1
5 Championships 1
11 All-Star selections 3
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#7 All-time GOAT rank #68

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