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This page details the career achievements of Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. He is a member of NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and is widely considered to be the greatest point guard of all time.
Career highlights
- One of several players in NBA history to average at least 22.5 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds for a season
- He accomplished the feat twice, in 1987 and 1989
- One of five players in NBA history to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.
- Includes Bill Russell, Henry Bibby, Christian Braun, and Billy Thompson
- One of six players in NBA history to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals clinching game (1982 and 1985).
- Includes Larry Bird (1986), James Worthy (1988), Tim Duncan (2003), LeBron James (2012 and 2016), and Draymond Green (2015)
- One of four players in NBA history to record a triple-double in their playoff debut.
- Includes Johnny McCarthy, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic
- One of two players in NBA history to set 20+ assists in at least 30 games: achieved it 32 times
- Includes John Stockton, who achieved it 38 times
- Only player in NBA history to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season
Regular season
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989, 1990)
- 4× NBA assists leader (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987)
- 2× NBA steals leader (1981, 1982)
- 1× NBA free-throw percentage leader (1989)
- 9× All-NBA First Team (1983 to 91)
- 1× All-NBA Second Team (1982)
- All-Rookie first team (1980)
NBA All-Star Game
- 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1980, 1982–1992)
NBA Playoffs
- 5x NBA Playoffs assists leader (1980, 1984–87)
- 9x NBA Playoffs total assists leader (1980, 1983–89, 1991)
- 2x NBA Playoffs steals leader (1980, 1982)
- 2x NBA Playoffs total steals leader (1980, 1983)
- 1x NBA Playoffs minutes played leader (1983)
- 3x NBA Playoffs total minutes played leader (1983, 1988, 1991)
- Led the 1991 NBA Playoffs in total minutes played, three points made, free throws made, defensive rebounds and assists
NBA Finals
- 3x NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)
- 5x NBA Champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88)
- 4x NBA runner-up (1983, 1984, 1989, 1991)
- 8x NBA Finals assists leader (1980, 1983–85, 1987–89, 1991)
Los Angeles Lakers
- Los Angeles Lakers #32 retired
- Selected as the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft
NBA records
Career
- Holds the all-time record for highest career assists-per-game average—11.2
- Holds the all-time record for most assists in Playoffs—2,346
- Johnson is also the only player in NBA history to have at least 2,000 assists in a playoff career
- Holds the all-time record for highest assists-per-game average in Playoffs—12.4
- Holds the all-time record for most triple-doubles in Playoffs—30
All-Star Game
- Holds the all-time record for most assists in a game w/o OT—19 (1988)
- Holds the all-time record for most assists in a half—13 (1984)
Playoffs
- Holds single-series playoff record for highest assists-per-game average—15.2 (1985)
- Shares single-game playoff record for most assists made in a game—24 (May 15, 1984, vs. Phoenix Suns)
- Shares single-game playoff record for most assists made in a half—15 (May 3, 1985, vs. Portland)
- Shares single-game playoff record for most free throws made in one half—19 (May 8, 1991, vs. Golden State)
Finals
- Holds the single-series record for highest assists-per-game average—14.0 (1985)
- Shares the single-series record for most triple-doubles—2 (1985)
- Holds the record for most points by a rookie, game—42 (May 16, 1980, vs. Philadelphia)
- Holds the record for most assists by a rookie, game—11 (May 7, 1980, vs. Philadelphia)
- Holds the record for most assists made in a game—21 (June 3, 1984, vs. Boston Celtics)
- Holds the record for most assists in one half—14 (June 19, 1988, vs. Detroit)
- Holds the record for most assists in one quarter—8 (four times)
Los Angeles Lakers
- Most assists, total: 10,141
- Highest assists-per-game average, career: 11.2
- Highest assists-per-game average in a season: 13.1
- Most assists in a season: 989
- Most assists in a game: 24
- Most steals in a season: 208
- Highest steals-per-game average in a season: 3.43
- Most triple-doubles: 138
- Highest free-throw percentage in a season: .911
- 3rd most playoff games played: 190
- 2nd most playoff minutes played: 7,538
- 4th most playoff points scored: 3,701
- 3rd most playoff free throws made: 1,068
- 5th most playoff field goals attempted: 2,522
- 5th most playoff rebounds grabbed: 1,465
- 3rd most playoff offensive rebounds: 349
- Most playoff defensive rebounds: 1,116
- Most playoff assists: 2,346
- Most playoff steals: 359
Others
Game-winning shots
| Time (sec) left | Score | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 112-110 | Phoenix Suns | November 2, 1979 |
| 1.0 | 120-118 | Golden State Warriors | March 22, 1981 |
| 1:05 | 99-97 | Phoenix Suns | May 25, 1984 |
| 3.0 | 112-111 | Golden State Warriors | March 6, 1986 |
| 1.0 | 113-111 | Sacramento Kings | November 16, 1986 |
| 2.0 | 107-106 | Boston Celtics | June 9, 1987 |
| 0.0 | 115-114 | Boston Celtics | December 11, 1987 |
| 0.0 | 148-146 2OT | Denver Nuggets | November 15, 1988 |
| 0.0 | 118-116 | Phoenix Suns | March 26, 1989 |
| 19.0 | 104-102 | Sacramento Kings | December 26, 1989 |
| 0.8 | 102-101 | Seattle SuperSonics | April 17, 1990 |
40-point games
| Points made | Score | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 123-107 | Philadelphia 76ers | May 16, 1980 |
| 41 | 110-112 OT | Utah Jazz | March 28, 1981 |
| 40 | 130-127 | Detroit Pistons | January 9, 1982 |
| 46 | 127-117 OT | Sacramento Kings | December 23, 1986 |
| 42 | 126-115 | New Jersey Nets | January 19, 1987 |
| 40 | 113-108 | Indiana Pacers | February 13, 1987 |
| 40 | 110-106 | Seattle SuperSonics | November 30, 1988 |
| 43 | 101-114 | Phoenix Suns | May 13, 1990 |
| 43 | 103-106 | Phoenix Suns | May 15, 1990 |
| 44 | 124-125 | Golden State Warriors | May 8, 1991 |
USA Basketball
- A member of The Dream Team, which is considered to be the best Basketball team ever assembled
- 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist
College basketball achievements
- Member of NCAA championship team (1979)
- NCAA Division I Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1979)
- The Sporting News All-America first team (1979)
Other achievements
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1992)
- Grammy Award for Best Spoken Album (What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS) (1993)
References
- "Magic Johnson". NBA Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
- "Magic Johnson stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
- "NBA & ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists." NBA & ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists|Basketball-Reference. N.p.. Web. 10 Mar 2014. <https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_career_p.html Basketball-Reference.com enumeration of NBA career playoff leaders in assists>.