The Tape
Was Magic Johnson better than Scottie Pippen?
Magic Johnson, 1979-1991, against Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, their best seasons score the same: Magic Johnson at 24.8 a game in 1986-87, Scottie Pippen at 24.7 in 1993-94. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Scottie Pippen wins the glass by 2.4 rebounds a game (8.7 to 6.3), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
Magic Johnson is the passer: 12.2 assists a game to 5.6, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Magic Johnson: The highest career assist average in league history, at 6 foot 9, in 9 Finals. Scottie Pippen: The template for the modern do-everything forward, and the best perimeter defender of his decade.
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