Cross-era · careers 14 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Stephen Curry

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Stephen Curry 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Stephen Curry (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 14 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Stephen Curry was the higher-volume scorer (24.8 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% 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 Stephen Curry's #16.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatStephen Curry
19.6 Points / game 24.8
7.2 Rebounds / game 4.7
11.2 Assists / game 6.3
1.9 Steals / game 1.5
0.4 Blocks / game 0.3
52.0% Field goal % 47.1%
22.9% 3-point % 42.5%
84.3% Free throw % 91.0%
61.0% True shooting % 64.8%
906 Games played 1,069

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatStephen Curry
1.86× Points vs era avg 2.50×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.14×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 2.86×

Advanced metrics

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

Magic JohnsonStatStephen Curry
— Offensive rating 117.2
— Defensive rating 105.8
— Net rating 11.5
— Usage % 32.5%
— Assist % 27.0%
— Rebound % 6.5%

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatStephen Curry
19.5 Points / game 26.8
7.7 Rebounds / game 5.3
12.3 Assists / game 6.2
1.9 Steals / game 1.5
0.3 Blocks / game 0.3
50.6% Field goal % 45.4%
18.5% 3-point % 39.8%
83.6% Free throw % 89.1%
190 Playoff games 155

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatStephen Curry
3 MVP awards 2
3 Finals MVP 1
5 Championships 4
11 All-Star selections 10
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#7 All-time GOAT rank #16

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