Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

Magic Johnson vs Vern Mikkelsen

Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard Vern Mikkelsen 1949-1958 · Forward

Magic Johnson (1979-1995) and Vern Mikkelsen (1949-1958) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 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 14.4); adjusted for era they scored at 1.86× and 1.50× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 47.9%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Vern Mikkelsen's #74.

Career averages

Magic JohnsonStatVern Mikkelsen
19.6 Points / game 14.4
7.2 Rebounds / game 8.5
11.2 Assists / game 2.2
1.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.4 Blocks / game 0.0
52.0% Field goal % 40.1%
22.9% 3-point % 0.0%
84.3% Free throw % 76.4%
61.0% True shooting % 47.9%
906 Games played 699

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Magic JohnsonStatVern Mikkelsen
1.86× Points vs era avg 1.50×
1.72× Rebounds vs era avg 1.67×
4.52× Assists vs era avg 0.99×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Vern Mikkelsen's era.

Playoff averages

Magic JohnsonStatVern Mikkelsen
19.5 Points / game 13.4
7.7 Rebounds / game 6.9
12.3 Assists / game 1.8
1.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.3 Blocks / game 0.0
50.6% Field goal % 39.8%
18.5% 3-point % 0.0%
83.6% Free throw % 79.2%
190 Playoff games 85

Accolades

Magic JohnsonStatVern Mikkelsen
3 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 4
11 All-Star selections 6
9 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#7 All-time GOAT rank #74

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