Johnson vs Yao
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Yao wins: Honours, Statistics
Johnson wins: Longevity
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Yao leads in 4 of 5 weighted categories. Eight-time All-Star who opened the NBA to a global Chinese audience.
Category breakdown
Season form · Points per game
Career timeline · Points per game
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Points per game| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Johnson | 0 | 0 | 66 | 148 | 398 | 518 |
| 🇨🇳 Yao | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71.6 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | JohnsonRetired | YaoRetired |
|---|---|---|
| National championships | 1 | — |
| All-American selections | 1 | — |
| Hall of Fame induction | 1,977 | — |
| Big Six titles | 2 | — |
| College seasons | 3 | — |
| All-Star selections | — | 8 |
| Points per game | — | 19 |
| Rebounds per game | — | 9.2 |
| All-NBA selections | — | 5 |
| Olympic appearances | — | 3 |
| Dominance w25% | 72 | 72 |
| Peak w20% | 84 | 84 |
| Longevity w20% | 62 | 60 |
| Honours w20% | 72 | 74 |
| Statistics w15% | 70 | 82 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
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