Michael Jordan vs. Magic Johnson | An in-depth statistical dive into two Hall of Famers
Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are two incredible players who dominated the NBA for a long time. Unfortunately, both of them had shorter careers than most of their peers as Jordan played for 15 years and Magic spent 13 seasons with his only team, the lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Lakers.
The two legends played 13 regular-season games against each other, with Jordan winning seven of them. They also played against each other once in the playoffs, meeting in the 1991 NBA Finals.
This Michael Jordan/Magic Johnson comparison includes their stats in head-to-head games.
Offensive comparison
Michael Jordan was one of the deadliest scorers in NBA history. His career scoring average of 30.1 points is the highest of all time, and he also averaged 33.4 ppg in the playoffs (trailing Luka Doncic's 33.5 ppg).
MJ's slashing and midrange games were on point.
Magic Johnson, on the other hand, wasn't as good a scorer. However, his ball distribution was incredible, and he's one of the best playmakers to ever play.
Jordan's scoring against Johnson was incredible, although Johnson has an edge in keeping his teammates involved. Furthermore, Magic was much more selective with his shots, which is why his shooting percentage was so high.
Magic's highest scoring output against Jordan was 31 points, while Michael had two 40-point games against his rival.
When it comes to assists, Jordan recorded 16 assists in a 1989 matchup against the Lakers, yet Johnson's career high in assists against MJ was 17.
Defensive comparison
Johnson was a solid defender, although some fans and analysts believe defense was his biggest weakness.
Jordan is known as one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all time. He was a Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time steals leader. Jordan's defense was suffocating throughout his entire career, and his matchups against Magic were no exception.
From the chart above, Jordan completely obliterated Johnson on defense.
While his shot blocking was decent, Jordan's quick hands and reactions allowed him to average more than two steals per game against his opponent. In one of these games, he had six steals.
Jordan vs. Johnson in the playoffs
The two players met only once in the playoffs, in the 1991 NBA Finals when the Bulls beat the Angeles Lakers in five games.
Jordan completely outplayed Johnson in the finals, averaging a double-double with points and assists.
The series showed why Jordan is considered the greatest player of all time. In his regular-season matchups against Magic, Jordan wasn't this good with ball distribution and scoring.
However, he took his game to a new level in the NBA Finals and had no weaknesses in his game.