The Tape
Was Magic Johnson better than Victor Wembanyama?
Magic Johnson, 1979-1991, against Victor Wembanyama, 2023-present. 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, Victor Wembanyama at 24.4 in 2024-25. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Victor Wembanyama wins the glass by 4.7 rebounds a game (11 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 3.7, 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. Victor Wembanyama: The longest arms ever attached to a jump shot, 2 seasons into finding out what that is worth.
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