Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are two iconic players, perhaps the best ever at their respective positions. The 1980s saw the rivalry of Magic vs Bird at center stage of the NBA’s popularity. They won a combined 6 MVP awards and 8 NBA titles. Usually, when they are referenced, it’s Magic and Bird. Today’s we find out who was better – Magic or Bird?
EFFICIENCY
Magic Johnson was 2.5% more efficient over the course of their careers, although is pretty close. Magic’s PER of 24.1 is a shade better than Bird’s 23.5.
Using the metric box score plus/minus, Magic and Bird are the exact same.
VORP, or Value Over Replacement Player, is another metric that can be look at. It’s a cumulative total and because Magic and Bird played about the same number of games in their careers – Magic played 9 more games (both played 13 seasons) – it applies. We see that Bird’s VORP was 3.0% higher that Magic’s.
ANCILLARY STATS
Magic’s rate of drawing fouls was simply remarkable. His career rate was 89.5% higher than Bird’s. Magic’s career true shooting percentage (61.0% – 8th all-time) is significantly higher than Bird’s (56.4% – 94th).
Magic’s defensive rebound percentage is quite impressive, among the top-5 of guards in NBA history, and allowed him to start so many fastbreaks for the Showtime Lakers.
On the other hand, Bird’s assist percentage is among the top-3 all-time among forwards.
WIN SHARES
Both players were on teams with sustained periods of success, so breaking it down even further; we look at which player contributed the most to his team’s wins, both offensively and defensively.
OFFENSIVELY
Magic had 110.6 offensive win shares in his career, far more than Bird’s 86.8 offensive win shares.
DEFENSIVELY
Bird had 59.0 defensive win shares in his career, far more than Magic’s 45.2 defensive win shares.
TOTAL
Magic had 10 more win shares over the course of his career than Bird. On a win shares per 48 minutes basis, Magic’s contributions were 10.8% higher than Bird’s, although both were more than twice the league average.
CONCLUSION
It’s clear that Magic was the superior offensive player and Bird was the superior defensive player. In total, Magic’s metrics slightly outweigh those of Bird.
Magic Johnson was a better player than Larry Bird.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.