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Leaving a Legacy: LeBron James vs. Magic Johnson

By Austin Connolly

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17, 1980 : Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates during a ceremony after winning the 1980 NBA finals in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17, 1980 : Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates during a ceremony after winning the 1980 NBA finals in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James /

LeBron James and Magic Johnson have very similar legacies to their name.

On Sunday night, LeBron James powered the Los Angeles Lakers to their 17th championship. The victory ties the Lakers with the Celtics for the most championships as a franchise, but does it improve his legacy?

Although many of us at Lake Show Life think he has a chance to be the Greatest of All-Time, I think there are still a few players he needs to pass.

In my honest opinion, LeBron James’ fourth ring officially opens the argument that he is at least a top-three player of all-time. In order for me to put him there, he would have to pass a player and fellow Laker that many are overlooking: Magic Johnson. Let’s take a look at how the two best Laker point guards stack up.

All-Star Appearances

  • LeBron James – 16
  • Magic Johnson – 12

When comparing great players, one should expect them to be an All-Star almost every season of their career.

At first glance, one would obviously have to give the edge to LeBron James here. However, it’s important to note that Magic Johnson only played 13 seasons in the NBA before his career was derailed by a positive HIV test in 1991. As a result, we have two players that have been an All-Star almost every year of their careers.

Many forget that Magic Johnson was still at the peak of his powers as he led the Lakers to a finals appearances just five months prior.

In fact, he returned for the 1992 All-Star game despite not playing at all that season. The retired star added to his impressive legacy as he took home the All-Star game MVP that night.

Since Magic’s career was cut short and both players were excellent almost every season they played, I have to call it a draw here.

Career Stats

LeBron James

  • 27.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Magic Johnson

  • 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG

In what should come as no surprise to anyone, LeBron and Magic are neck-and-neck in terms of career per game stats.

At first glance, one might look at LeBron James’ far superior scoring and give him the nod. However, some simple math shows their offensive productivity is quite comparable.

LeBron has scored about 7.5 more points per game than Magic has in his career. However, Magic has dished out about four more assists per game. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume the vast majority of those assists were on two-point shots.

The assist advantage more than makes up for Magic’s subpar scoring average. If we were to subtract Magic’s four-assist advantage and think of it as an extra 8 PPG to his scoring average, we are looking at almost identical statistics.

It seems we’ve got yet another draw on our hands. However, the real stars leave their legacy in the postseason.