Who is better, Magic or Bird?
Magic Johnson leads with a GOAT score of 91.9 against 91.2 for Larry Bird — a gap of 0.7 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
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Magic vs Bird
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Quick answer
GOAT Rank currently ranks Magic Johnson above Larry Bird: 91.9 vs 91.2. Magic Johnson leads on Longevity, Dominance, Honours. Larry Bird leads on Statistics.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →GOAT verdictgoatrank.world
MagicWinner
91.9Magic wins: Dominance, Longevity, Honours
Bird
91.2Bird wins: Statistics
Candidates
Locked to BasketballShareable URL · /compare/magic-vs-larry-bird
Time range
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Weighted GOAT score
🇺🇸 Magic Johnson
91.9
Magic leads in 4 of 5 weighted categories.
1. Magic Johnson
2. Larry Bird
Category breakdown
Season form · Form index per season
Career timeline · Form index per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Form index per season1. 🇺🇸 Larry Bird5 seasons played · career day 1,825113.2 points per game
Setting the pace at this stage
2. 🇺🇸 Magic Johnson5 seasons played · career day 1,82592.6 points per game
-18.2% vs Bird at the same stage
| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Magic | 0 | 0 | 18 | 39.6 | 92.6 | 172.5 |
| 🇺🇸 Bird | 0 | 0 | 21.3 | 42.5 | 113.2 | 225.7 |
Careers are aligned from debut; the first 5 season periods are measured against the same career window.
Fan vote — data vs the people
GOAT Rank · the data
Magic91.9
Bird91.2
FAQ
Where does Bird beat Magic?
Bird scores higher on statistics. Magic leads on dominance, honours, longevity.
How is the Magic vs Bird score calculated?
Both are scored on peak, dominance, honours, statistics, longevity within their sport. Magic: 91.9, Bird: 91.2.
What do you think?
0 commentsMake your case for Magic vs Bird. The scoring is published in full — if you can point at the pillar or the weight you disagree with, we read it. Read the methodology paper.