Dirk Nowitzki vs. Bill Sharman Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Sharman and Dirk Nowitzki, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dirk Nowitzki played 21 years in the NBA, 10 more than Bill Sharman, who played 11. Dirk Nowitzki had the first of his seasons in 1998-99, while Bill Sharman had his rookie season in 1950-51. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dirk Nowitzki 21 15 1998-99 to 2018-19
Bill Sharman 11 10 1950-51 to 1960-61

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21

Rookie Season

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 1998-991950-51
Team Dallas MavericksWashington Capitols
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 47 20.4 8.2 0.9 2.6 3.4 1.0 0.6 0.6 1.6 2.2 2.9 7.1 .405 0.3 1.4 .206 2.1 2.7 .773
Bill Sharman 31 - 12.2 - - 3.5 1.3 - - - 2.8 4.5 12.3 .370 - - - 3.1 3.5 .889
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 1999-001951-52
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 82 35.8 17.5 1.2 5.2 6.5 2.5 0.8 0.8 1.7 3.1 6.3 13.6 .461 1.4 3.7 .379 3.5 4.2 .830
Bill Sharman 63 22.0 10.7 - - 3.5 2.4 - - - 2.9 3.9 10.0 .389 - - - 2.9 3.4 .859
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman 1 27.0 15.0 - - 3.0 7.0 - - - 4.0 7.0 12.0 .583 - - - 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 3

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2000-011952-53
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 82 38.1 21.8 1.5 7.7 9.2 2.1 1.0 1.2 1.9 3.0 7.2 15.2 .474 1.8 4.8 .387 5.5 6.6 .838
Bill Sharman 71 32.9 16.2 - - 4.1 2.7 - - - 3.4 5.7 13.0 .436 - - - 4.8 5.6 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 10 39.9 23.4 1.4 6.7 8.1 1.4 1.1 0.8 1.4 3.7 6.9 16.3 .423 1.3 4.6 .283 8.3 9.4 .883
Bill Sharman 6 33.5 11.7 - - 2.5 2.5 - - - 4.3 3.3 10.0 .333 - - - 5.0 5.3 .938

Season 4

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2001-021953-54
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 76 38.0 23.4 1.6 8.4 9.9 2.4 1.1 1.0 1.9 2.9 7.9 16.6 .477 1.8 4.6 .397 5.8 6.8 .853
Bill Sharman 72 34.3 16.0 - - 3.5 3.2 - - - 2.9 5.7 12.7 .450 - - - 4.6 5.4 .844
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 8 44.6 28.4 2.1 11.0 13.1 2.3 2.0 0.8 2.8 3.4 9.1 20.5 .445 2.0 3.5 .571 8.1 9.3 .878
Bill Sharman 6 34.3 18.8 - - 4.2 1.7 - - - 4.8 5.8 13.5 .432 - - - 7.2 8.3 .860

Season 5

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2002-031954-55
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf FinalsCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 80 39.0 25.1 1.0 8.9 9.9 3.0 1.4 1.0 1.9 2.6 8.6 18.6 .463 1.9 4.9 .379 6.0 6.9 .881
Bill Sharman 68 36.1 18.4 - - 4.4 4.1 - - - 3.1 6.7 15.6 .427 - - - 5.1 5.7 .897
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 17 42.5 25.3 0.9 10.6 11.5 2.2 1.2 0.9 2.4 3.1 8.8 18.4 .479 1.6 3.6 .443 6.1 6.6 .912
Bill Sharman 7 41.4 20.7 - - 5.4 5.4 - - - 3.4 7.9 15.7 .500 - - - 5.0 5.4 .921

Season 6

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2003-041955-56
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 77 37.9 21.8 1.2 7.5 8.7 2.7 1.2 1.4 1.8 2.8 7.9 17.0 .462 1.3 3.8 .341 4.8 5.5 .877
Bill Sharman 72 37.5 19.9 - - 3.6 4.7 - - - 2.7 7.5 17.1 .438 - - - 5.0 5.7 .867
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 5 42.2 26.6 2.6 9.2 11.8 1.4 1.4 2.6 1.2 3.2 9.0 20.0 .450 1.4 3.0 .467 7.2 8.4 .857
Bill Sharman 3 39.7 17.3 - - 2.3 4.0 - - - 2.3 6.0 15.3 .391 - - - 5.3 5.7 .941

Season 7

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2004-051956-57
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 78 38.7 26.1 1.2 8.5 9.7 3.1 1.2 1.5 2.3 2.8 8.5 18.5 .459 1.2 2.9 .399 7.9 9.1 .869
Bill Sharman 67 35.9 21.1 - - 4.3 3.5 - - - 2.8 7.7 18.5 .416 - - - 5.7 6.3 .905
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 13 42.5 23.7 1.9 8.2 10.1 3.3 1.4 1.6 2.5 3.2 7.9 19.7 .402 0.8 2.3 .333 7.1 8.5 .829
Bill Sharman 10 37.7 21.1 - - 3.5 2.9 - - - 2.3 7.5 19.7 .381 - - - 6.1 6.4 .953

Season 8

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2005-061957-58
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 81 38.1 26.6 1.4 7.6 9.0 2.8 0.7 1.0 1.9 2.0 9.3 19.3 .480 1.4 3.3 .406 6.7 7.4 .901
Bill Sharman 63 35.1 22.3 - - 4.7 2.7 - - - 2.5 8.7 20.6 .424 - - - 4.8 5.4 .893
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 23 42.7 27.0 2.0 9.6 11.7 2.9 1.1 0.6 2.1 2.8 8.5 18.2 .468 1.0 2.9 .343 8.9 10.0 .895
Bill Sharman 11 36.9 21.1 - - 4.9 2.3 - - - 2.5 8.2 20.1 .407 - - - 4.7 5.1 .929

Season 9

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2006-071958-59
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 78 36.2 24.6 1.6 7.3 8.9 3.4 0.7 0.8 2.1 2.2 8.6 17.2 .502 0.9 2.2 .416 6.4 7.1 .904
Bill Sharman 72 33.1 20.4 - - 4.1 2.5 - - - 2.4 7.8 19.1 .408 - - - 4.8 5.1 .932
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 6 39.8 19.7 4.2 7.2 11.3 2.3 1.8 1.3 2.3 3.3 6.0 15.7 .383 0.7 3.2 .211 7.0 8.3 .840
Bill Sharman 11 29.3 20.1 - - 3.3 2.5 - - - 3.2 7.5 17.5 .425 - - - 5.2 5.4 .966

Season 10

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2007-081959-60
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 77 36.0 23.6 1.2 7.3 8.6 3.5 0.7 0.9 2.1 2.6 8.2 17.1 .479 1.0 2.9 .359 6.2 7.1 .879
Bill Sharman 71 27.0 19.3 - - 3.7 2.0 - - - 2.2 7.9 17.3 .456 - - - 3.5 4.1 .866
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 5 42.2 26.8 2.0 10.0 12.0 4.0 0.2 1.4 2.0 2.6 8.6 18.2 .473 1.2 3.6 .333 8.4 10.4 .808
Bill Sharman 13 28.0 16.8 - - 3.5 1.5 - - - 1.7 6.8 16.1 .421 - - - 3.3 4.1 .811

Season 11

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2008-091960-61
Team Dallas MavericksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 81 37.7 25.9 1.1 7.3 8.4 2.4 0.8 0.8 1.9 2.2 9.6 20.0 .479 0.8 2.1 .359 6.0 6.7 .890
Bill Sharman 61 25.2 16.0 - - 3.7 2.4 - - - 2.1 6.3 14.9 .422 - - - 3.4 3.7 .921
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 10 39.4 26.8 1.2 8.9 10.1 3.1 0.9 0.8 2.3 2.1 8.8 17.0 .518 0.6 2.1 .286 8.6 9.3 .925
Bill Sharman 10 26.1 16.8 - - 2.7 1.7 - - - 2.2 6.8 13.3 .511 - - - 3.2 3.6 .889

Season 12

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2009-10-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 81 37.5 25.0 1.0 6.7 7.7 2.7 0.9 1.0 1.8 2.6 8.9 18.5 .481 0.6 1.5 .421 6.6 7.2 .915
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 6 38.8 26.7 1.2 7.0 8.2 3.0 0.8 0.7 1.7 2.5 9.7 17.7 .547 0.7 1.2 .571 6.7 7.0 .952
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2010-11-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 73 34.3 23.0 0.7 6.3 7.0 2.6 0.5 0.6 1.9 2.4 8.4 16.2 .517 0.9 2.3 .393 5.4 6.1 .892
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 21 39.3 27.7 0.6 7.6 8.1 2.5 0.6 0.6 3.1 2.2 9.1 18.9 .485 1.1 2.4 .460 8.3 8.9 .941
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2011-12-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 62 33.5 21.6 0.7 6.0 6.7 2.2 0.7 0.5 1.9 2.1 7.6 16.7 .457 1.3 3.4 .368 5.1 5.7 .896
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 4 38.5 26.8 0.8 5.5 6.3 1.8 0.8 0.0 2.5 2.3 8.5 19.3 .442 0.3 1.5 .167 9.5 10.5 .905
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2012-13-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 53 31.3 17.3 0.7 6.2 6.8 2.5 0.7 0.7 1.3 1.8 6.5 13.7 .471 1.2 3.0 .414 3.1 3.6 .860
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2013-14-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 80 32.9 21.7 0.5 5.7 6.2 2.7 0.9 0.6 1.5 2.1 7.9 15.9 .497 1.6 4.1 .398 4.2 4.7 .899
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 7 37.6 19.1 0.7 7.3 8.0 1.6 0.9 0.9 2.1 2.9 7.7 18.0 .429 0.1 1.7 .083 3.6 4.4 .806
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2014-15-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 77 29.6 17.3 0.6 5.4 5.9 1.9 0.5 0.4 1.1 2.1 6.3 13.8 .459 1.4 3.6 .380 3.3 3.8 .882
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 5 36.2 21.2 0.8 9.6 10.4 2.4 0.4 0.4 2.0 3.2 7.6 16.8 .452 0.8 3.4 .235 5.2 5.6 .929
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2015-16-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 75 31.5 18.3 0.7 5.8 6.5 1.8 0.7 0.7 1.1 2.1 6.6 14.8 .448 1.7 4.6 .368 3.3 3.7 .893
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 5 34.0 20.4 0.6 4.2 4.8 1.6 0.4 0.6 1.4 1.8 8.2 16.6 .494 0.8 2.2 .364 3.2 3.4 .941
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 19

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2016-17-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 54 26.4 14.2 0.4 6.1 6.5 1.5 0.6 0.7 0.9 2.1 5.5 12.6 .437 1.5 3.9 .378 1.8 2.1 .875
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 20

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2017-18-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 77 24.7 12.0 0.3 5.4 5.7 1.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 1.9 4.5 9.8 .456 1.8 4.4 .409 1.3 1.4 .898
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------

Season 21

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Sharman
Season 2018-19-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki 51 15.6 7.3 0.1 3.0 3.1 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.4 1.5 2.6 7.4 .359 1.3 4.0 .312 0.8 1.0 .780
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------
Bill Sharman ------- --- ----------