GGOATRANK
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Basketball · Small forward · United States

Marques Johnson

1977–1989 · NCAA champion, five-time NBA All-Star and the first winner of the Wooden Award.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
78.1
Cultural & brand footprint 58/100 · total legacy 72.8
NBA All-Star selections
5
All-NBA selections
3
Career points
13,892
Career points per game
20.1
NCAA championships
1

Category profile

Dominance
76
Peak
86
Longevity
72
Honours
76
Statistics
82

Career timeline · Points per game

SeasonPoints per gameShare of career
197719.5
197825.6
197921.7
198021.3
198120.3
198221.4
198320.2
198420
198520.2
198615.6
19876.3
198812

Data sources

  • NBA.com
  • Basketball Reference
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Marques Johnson ranks #174 in Basketball

Marques Johnson ranks 174th among Basketball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1144th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 78.1 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 76, Peak 86, Longevity 72, Honours 76, Statistics 82. Those categories are normalised against the full Basketball reference universe of 402 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1977–1989 with 12 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1978, which sets the Peak component at 86. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 86 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes nba all-star selections 5, all-nba selections 3, career points 13892, career points per game 20.1.

Immediately ahead sits Amar'e Stoudemire on 78.2, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Chris Webber on 77.8. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Marques Johnson GOAT Score explained

Dominance76/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Johnson stood above the field while competing. Scored 76/100 against the full Basketball cohort.
Peak86/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1978. Scored 86/100.
Longevity72/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 12 years of competition and 12 recorded seasons. Scored 72/100.
Honours76/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 76/100.
Statistics82/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 82/100.

Marques Johnson — frequently asked

Is Marques Johnson the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Marques Johnson ranks 174th in Basketball with a GOAT Score of 78.1, behind LeBron James on 95.6.
What is Marques Johnson's GOAT Score?
78.1 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 76 (25%), Peak 86 (20%), Longevity 72 (20%), Honours 76 (20%), Statistics 82 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Marques Johnson rank all time?
1144th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 174th within Basketball.
Marques Johnson vs Amar'e Stoudemire: who ranks higher?
Amar'e Stoudemire, on 78.2 against Marques Johnson's 78.1 — a margin of 0.1 points.
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