Mike Sanders vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Mike Sanders that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Mike Sanders

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Mike Sanders: 1982-83 to 1992-93
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Mike Sanders 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Mike Sanders 11 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Mike Sanders 9 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Mike Sanders 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Mike Sanders 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Mike Sanders 0 Nate Thurmond 5

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Mike Sanders 8.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Mike Sanders 3.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Mike Sanders 1.4 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Mike Sanders 0.7 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Mike Sanders 0.3 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Mike Sanders 5,162 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Mike Sanders 1,927 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Mike Sanders 880 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Mike Sanders 464 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Mike Sanders 206 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Mike Sanders 648 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Mike Sanders .482 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Mike Sanders .221 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Mike Sanders .769 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Mike Sanders 11.0 (1986) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Mike Sanders 4.2 (1985) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Mike Sanders 1.8 (1986) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Mike Sanders 1.1 (1985) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Mike Sanders 0.6 (1993) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Mike Sanders 6.3 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Mike Sanders 2.5 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Mike Sanders 1.3 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Mike Sanders 0.6 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Mike Sanders 0.3 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Mike Sanders 425 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Mike Sanders 168 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Mike Sanders 85 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Mike Sanders 43 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Mike Sanders 22 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Mike Sanders 67 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Mike Sanders .500 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Mike Sanders .333 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Mike Sanders .779 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Mike Sanders 17.3 (1985) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Mike Sanders 5.0 (1988) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Mike Sanders 3.3 (1985) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Mike Sanders 1.7 (1985) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Mike Sanders 0.7 (1992) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.