Cross-era · careers 7 years apart

Wilt Chamberlain vs Magic Johnson

Wilt Chamberlain 1959-1972 · Center Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1972) and Magic Johnson (1979-1995) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Wilt Chamberlain was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 19.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.56× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 54.7%). Magic Johnson holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #7 all-time ranking to Wilt Chamberlain's #8.

Career averages

Wilt ChamberlainStatMagic Johnson
30.1 Points / game 19.6
22.9 Rebounds / game 7.2
4.4 Assists / game 11.2
0.0 Steals / game 1.9
0.0 Blocks / game 0.4
56.8% Field goal % 52.0%
0.0% 3-point % 22.9%
50.1% Free throw % 84.3%
54.7% True shooting % 61.0%
1,045 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Wilt ChamberlainStatMagic Johnson
2.56× Points vs era avg 1.86×
3.85× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
2.03× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Wilt Chamberlain's era.

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

Playoff averages

Wilt ChamberlainStatMagic Johnson
22.5 Points / game 19.5
24.5 Rebounds / game 7.7
4.2 Assists / game 12.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.9
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
53.1% Field goal % 50.6%
0.0% 3-point % 18.5%
46.6% Free throw % 83.6%
160 Playoff games 190

Accolades

Wilt ChamberlainStatMagic Johnson
4 MVP awards 3
1 Finals MVP 3
2 Championships 5
13 All-Star selections 11
7 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#8 All-time GOAT rank #7

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