Cross-era · careers 3 years apart

Paul Pierce vs Magic Johnson

Paul Pierce 1998-2016 · Forward Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Magic Johnson (1979-1995) 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, Paul Pierce was the higher-volume scorer (19.7 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 56.8%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.

Career averages

Paul PierceStatMagic Johnson
19.7 Points / game 19.6
5.6 Rebounds / game 7.2
3.5 Assists / game 11.2
1.3 Steals / game 1.9
0.5 Blocks / game 0.4
44.4% Field goal % 52.0%
36.8% 3-point % 22.9%
80.8% Free throw % 84.3%
56.8% True shooting % 61.0%
1,343 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Paul PierceStatMagic Johnson
2.11× Points vs era avg 1.86×
1.37× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
1.68× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

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

Paul PierceStatMagic Johnson
104.7 Offensive rating —
101.7 Defensive rating —
3.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Paul PierceStatMagic Johnson
18.7 Points / game 19.5
5.8 Rebounds / game 7.7
3.4 Assists / game 12.3
1.2 Steals / game 1.9
0.6 Blocks / game 0.3
42.2% Field goal % 50.6%
35.1% 3-point % 18.5%
82.4% Free throw % 83.6%
170 Playoff games 190

Accolades

Paul PierceStatMagic Johnson
0 MVP awards 3
1 Finals MVP 3
1 Championships 5
10 All-Star selections 11
0 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#52 All-time GOAT rank #7

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