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Player profile · LAL
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson stats, teams and career impact
#11 all-timeCareer averages · 19.5 PPG · 7.2 RPG · 11.2 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 215 lb (98 kg)
- Born
- August 14, 1959 (67 yrs old)
- College
- Michigan State
- NBA seasons
- 13 seasons · 1979–80 to 1995–96
Career summaryMagic Johnson was a point guard who played 13 NBA seasons, from 1979–80 through 1995–96.
- Career PPG
- 19.5
- Career RPG
- 7.2
- Career APG
- 11.2
- #1 in 1980–81
- #11 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Magic Johnson ranks #11 all time
Magic Johnson ranks #11 all time. He reached #1 once and produced 11 top-five finishes, anchoring a strong peak. His full-career value ranks #16, making peak performance the stronger part of his case.
11 top-five · 12 top-ten finishes
906 games · Career Value Rank #16
NBA honors12× All-Star · 3× MVP · 10× All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Magic Johnson with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
Suggested comparisons, not a ranking of search traffic.Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 52.0%FG%
- Three-point
- 30.3%3P%
- Free throw
- 84.8%FT%
906 career games · 33,245 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Magic Johnson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1995–96 | 14.6 | 5.7 | 6.9 | +5.24 | LAL | 32 | 9 | 29.9 | 46.6% | 37.9% | 85.6% | #13 | 133.4 |
| 1990–91 | 19.4 | 7.0 | 12.5 | +7.94 | LAL | 79 | 79 | 37.1 | 47.7% | 32.0% | 90.6% | #5 | 571.5 |
| 1989–90 | 22.3 | 6.6 | 11.5 | +9.28 | LAL | 79 | 79 | 37.2 | 48.0% | 38.4% | 89.0% | #2 | 664.6 |
| 1988–89 | 22.5 | 7.9 | 12.8 | +8.65 | LAL | 77 | 77 | 37.5 | 50.9% | 31.4% | 91.1% | #2 | 640.9 |
| 1987–88 | 19.6 | 6.2 | 11.9 | +5.43 | LAL | 72 | 70 | 36.6 | 49.2% | 19.6% | 85.3% | #7 | 404.5 |
| 1986–87 | 23.9 | 6.3 | 12.2 | +8.06 | LAL | 80 | 80 | 36.3 | 52.2% | 20.5% | 84.8% | #3 | 618.5 |
| 1985–86 | 18.8 | 5.9 | 12.6 | +5.93 | LAL | 72 | 70 | 35.8 | 52.6% | 23.3% | 87.1% | #3 | 437.2 |
| 1984–85 | 18.3 | 6.2 | 12.6 | +5.72 | LAL | 77 | 77 | 36.1 | 56.1% | 18.9% | 84.3% | #5 | 461.4 |
| 1983–84 | 17.6 | 7.3 | 13.1 | +6.57 | LAL | 67 | 66 | 38.3 | 56.5% | 20.7% | 81.0% | #2 | 475.2 |
| 1982–83 | 16.8 | 8.6 | 10.5 | +7.41 | LAL | 79 | 79 | 36.8 | 54.8% | 0.0% | 80.0% | #2 | 591.6 |
| 1981–82 | 18.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | +7.85 | LAL | 78 | 77 | 38.3 | 53.7% | 20.7% | 76.0% | #2 | 632.9 |
| 1980–81 | 21.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 | +9.62 | LAL | 37 | 0 | 37.1 | 53.2% | 17.6% | 76.0% | #1 | 340.7 |
| 1979–80 | 18.0 | 7.7 | 7.3 | +4.69 | LAL | 77 | 0 | 36.3 | 53.0% | 22.6% | 81.0% | #5 | 405.8 |
| Career | 19.5 | 7.2 | 11.2 | — | LAL | 906 | — | 36.7 | 52.0% | 30.3% | 84.8% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Magic Johnson highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Career mixtape
Magic Johnson ultimate mixtape
Magic's open-floor passing and control of tempo make the playmaking behind his strongest seasons immediately visible.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
1.9 composite · lower is better
1.8 average league finish
6,378 total value
Career standing
How Magic Johnson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score1.9
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 13
- All-time rank
- #11
Strongest seasons
Every season
Magic Johnson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1995–96Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 36 | 32 | 958 | +5.24 | 96.3 | #13 | 133.4 | 76th | Standard |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 31 | 79 | 2,933 | +7.94 | 98.6 | #5 | 571.5 | 99th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 30 | 79 | 2,937 | +9.28 | 99.7 | #2 | 664.6 | 100th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 29 | 77 | 2,886 | +8.65 | 99.6 | #2 | 640.9 | 99th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 28 | 72 | 2,637 | +5.43 | 97.6 | #7 | 404.5 | 97th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 27 | 80 | 2,904 | +8.06 | 99.2 | #3 | 618.5 | 99th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 26 | 72 | 2,578 | +5.93 | 99.2 | #3 | 437.2 | 100th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 25 | 77 | 2,781 | +5.72 | 98.4 | #5 | 461.4 | 99th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 24 | 67 | 2,567 | +6.57 | 99.6 | #2 | 475.2 | 100th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 23 | 79 | 2,907 | +7.41 | 99.6 | #2 | 591.6 | 100th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 22 | 78 | 2,991 | +7.85 | 99.6 | #2 | 632.9 | 100th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 21 | 37 | 1,371 | +9.62 | 100.0 | #1 | 340.7 | 97th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 20 | 77 | 2,795 | +4.69 | 98.3 | #5 | 405.8 | 98th | Broad |
Career movement
Magic Johnson's career impact by season
Peak +9.62 in 1980–81 · 13 seasons · 33,245 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’92
—’93
—’94
—’95
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Magic JohnsonLarry Bird
| NBA season | Magic Johnson | Larry Bird |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.7 | 3.9 |
| 2 | 9.6 | 3.9 |
| 3 | 7.9 | 6.4 |
| 4 | 7.4 | 7.7 |
| 5 | 6.6 | 7.4 |
| 6 | 5.7 | 8.8 |
| 7 | 5.9 | 8.5 |
| 8 | 8.1 | 8.8 |
| 9 | 5.4 | 8.5 |
| 10 | 8.6 | -0.8 |
| 11 | 9.3 | 5.7 |
| 12 | 7.9 | 4.5 |
| 13 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Magic Johnson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
SF · All-Time Career #9
Larry Bird
84career similarity score
72/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 1982–83SF · All-Time Career #35Kawhi Leonard
84career similarity score
81/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 2015–16SG · All-Time Career #27Tracy McGrady
83career similarity score
79/100 closest-season score · 1980–81 ↔ 2005–06Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →