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Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 5:36 pm EDTNBA legend. Named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Biography, honors and career statistics below.
Magic Johnson
Career at a glance
Magic Johnson played 13 NBA regular seasons between 1979 and 1996, appearing in 906 games and averaging 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game. He spent his whole career with L.A. Lakers (13 seasons between 1979 and 1996, 906 games). His best scoring season was 1986–87 with L.A. Lakers: 23.9 points per game over 80 games.
He rebounded best in 1981–82 at 9.6 per game. The season table marks him as the league leader in assists 4 times, steals twice. Championship seasons: 1979–80 (L.A. Lakers), 1981–82 (L.A. Lakers), 1984–85 (L.A. Lakers), 1986–87 (L.A. Lakers), 1987–88 (L.A. Lakers).
In the playoffs he appeared in 13 postseason runs (190 games, 19.5 points per game). Multiplying each season’s games by its scoring average gives roughly 17,700 regular-season points (an estimate from per-game figures, not an official total). Among the 404 players with at least 200 NBA games profiled on whynba, Johnson ranks No. 1 in assists per game.
whynba analysis of the season-by-season statistics below (Wikipedia revision, CC BY-SA 4.0). Totals are estimates from per-game averages.
About Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He is widely regarded as the greatest point guard of all time and one of the greatest basketball players in history.[A] Johnson spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning a national championship with the Michigan State Spartans in 1979, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers, then led the team to five NBA championships during their "Showtime" era. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. He retired again after fellow players protested his return, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Known for his extraordinary court vision, passing abilities, and leadership, Johnson was one of the most accomplished and influential players in basketball history. He received three NBA Most Valuable Player awards, three NBA Finals MVP awards, nine All-NBA First Team designations, and twelve All-Star Game selections. He led the league in regular-season assists four times. Johnson holds the NBA records for average assists per game in the regular season (11.19) and in the playoffs (12.35 assists per game). He also holds the NBA playoffs records for most career assists and triple-doubles. Johnson was the co-captain of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team"), which won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona. Johnson is one of eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown. After leaving the NBA in 1991, he formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games.
Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, and became a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame—being enshrined in 2002 for his individual career and as a member of the Dream Team in 2010. His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, are well-documented.
- Born
- August 14, 1959 (age 67) Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
- Listed height
- 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
- Listed weight
- 220 lb (100 kg)
- Position
- Point guard
- High school
- Everett (Lansing, Michigan)
- College
- Michigan State (1977–1979)
- NBA draft
- 1979: 1st round, 1st overall pick
- Playing career
- 1979–1991, 1996, 1999–2000
Career highlights and awards
- 5× NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
- 3× NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989, 1990)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1980, 1982–1992)
- 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)
- 9× All-NBA First Team (1983–1991)
- All-NBA Second Team (1982)
- NBA All-Rookie Team (1980)
- 4× NBA assists leader (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987)
- 2× NBA steals leader (1981, 1982)
- NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
- No. 32 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
- NCAA champion (1979)
- NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1979)
- Consensus first-team All-American (1979)
- Second-team All-American – NABC (1978)
- Third-team All-American – AP, UPI (1978)
- 2× first-team All-Big Ten (1978, 1979)
- No. 33 retired by Michigan State Spartans
- First-team Parade All-American (1977)
- McDonald's All-American (1977)
- Mr. Basketball of Michigan (1977)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025)
Career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80† | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 72 | 36.3 | .530 | .226 | .810 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 18.0 |
| 1980–81 | L.A. Lakers | 37 | 35 | 37.1 | .532 | .176 | .760 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 3.4* | 0.7 | 21.6 |
| 1981–82† | L.A. Lakers | 78 | 77 | 38.3 | .537 | .207 | .760 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 2.7* | 0.4 | 18.6 |
| 1982–83 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 79 | 36.8 | .548 | .000 | .800 | 8.6 | 10.5* | 2.2 | 0.6 | 16.8 |
| 1983–84 | L.A. Lakers | 67 | 66 | 38.3 | .565 | .207 | .810 | 7.3 | 13.1* | 2.2 | 0.7 | 17.6 |
| 1984–85† | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 77 | 36.1 | .561 | .189 | .843 | 6.2 | 12.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 18.3 |
| 1985–86 | L.A. Lakers | 72 | 70 | 35.8 | .526 | .233 | .871 | 5.9 | 12.6* | 1.6 | 0.2 | 18.8 |
| 1986–87† | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 80 | 36.3 | .522 | .205 | .848 | 6.3 | 12.2* | 1.7 | 0.4 | 23.9 |
| 1987–88† | L.A. Lakers | 72 | 70 | 36.6 | .492 | .196 | .853 | 6.2 | 11.9 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 19.6 |
| 1988–89 | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 77 | 37.5 | .509 | .314 | .911* | 7.9 | 12.8 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 22.5 |
| 1989–90 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 79 | 37.2 | .480 | .384 | .890 | 6.6 | 11.5 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 22.3 |
| 1990–91 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 79 | 37.1 | .477 | .320 | .906 | 7.0 | 12.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 19.4 |
| 1995–96 | L.A. Lakers | 32 | 9 | 29.9 | .466 | .379 | .856 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 14.6 |
| Career | 906 | 870 | 36.7 | .520 | .303 | .848 | 7.2 | 11.2‡ | 1.9 | 0.4 | 19.5 | |
| All-Star | 11 | 10 | 30.1 | .489 | .476 | .905 | 5.2 | 11.5 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 16.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980† | L.A. Lakers | 16 | 16 | 41.1 | .518 | .250 | .802 | 10.5 | 9.4 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 18.3 |
| 1981 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | 3 | 42.3 | .388 | .000 | .650 | 13.7 | 7.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 17.0 |
| 1982† | L.A. Lakers | 14 | 14 | 40.1 | .529 | .000 | .828 | 11.3 | 9.3 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 17.4 |
| 1983 | L.A. Lakers | 15 | 15 | 42.9 | .485 | .000 | .840 | 8.5 | 12.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 17.9 |
| 1984 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 21 | 39.9 | .551 | .000 | .800 | 6.6 | 13.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 18.2 |
| 1985† | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 19 | 36.2 | .513 | .143 | .847 | 7.1 | 15.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 17.5 |
| 1986 | L.A. Lakers | 14 | 14 | 38.6 | .537 | .000 | .766 | 7.1 | 15.1 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 21.6 |
| 1987† | L.A. Lakers | 18 | 18 | 37.0 | .539 | .200 | .831 | 7.7 | 12.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 21.8 |
| 1988† | L.A. Lakers | 24 | 24 | 40.2 | .514 | .500 | .852 | 5.4 | 12.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 19.9 |
| 1989 | L.A. Lakers | 14 | 14 | 37.0 | .489 | .286 | .907 | 5.9 | 11.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 18.4 |
| 1990 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 9 | 41.8 | .490 | .200 | .886 | 6.3 | 12.8 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 25.2 |
| 1991 | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 19 | 43.3 | .440 | .296 | .882 | 8.1 | 12.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 21.8 |
| 1996 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 0 | 33.8 | .385 | .333 | .848 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 15.3 |
| Career | 190 | 186 | 39.7 | .506 | .241 | .838 | 7.7 | 12.3‡ | 1.9 | 0.3 | 19.5 |
Per-game averages. † won an NBA championship · * led the league · ‡ NBA record (as marked).
Profile observation date unavailable.
- Height
- 6′ 9″
- Weight
- 220 lb
- Position
- Point guard
- Jersey
- Not listed
- Country
- USA
- School / last affiliation
- Not listed
- Draft year
- 1979
- Draft pick
- Round 1 · Pick 1
Height, Weight, Position, Country, Draft year, Draft pick: blank in the NBA.com profile, filled from the Wikipedia infobox credited in the About section above.
Latest on Magic Johnson
Roster observations
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No roster observations are stored for this player. Historical profile details above do not establish a current team assignment.
Profile source
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