Pau Gasol vs. Ralph Sampson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Ralph Sampson and Pau Gasol, 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.

Pau Gasol played 18 years in the NBA, 9 more than Ralph Sampson, who played 9. Pau Gasol had the first of his seasons in 2001-02, while Ralph Sampson had his rookie season in 1983-84. 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
Pau Gasol 18 12 2001-02 to 2018-19
Ralph Sampson 9 4 1983-84 to 1991-92

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

Rookie Season

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2001-021983-84
Team Memphis GrizzliesHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the YearAchievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
Pau Gasol 82 36.7 17.6 2.9 6.0 8.9 2.7 0.5 2.1 2.7 2.4 6.7 13.0 .518 0.0 0.1 .200 4.1 5.8 .709
Ralph Sampson 82 32.8 21.0 3.6 7.6 11.1 2.0 0.9 2.4 3.6 4.1 8.7 16.7 .523 0.0 0.0 .250 3.5 5.3 .661
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2002-031984-85
Team Memphis GrizzliesHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets 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 %
Pau Gasol 82 36.0 19.0 2.3 6.4 8.8 2.8 0.4 1.8 2.6 2.7 6.9 13.6 .510 0.0 0.1 .100 5.1 6.9 .736
Ralph Sampson 82 37.6 22.1 2.8 7.6 10.4 2.7 1.0 2.0 4.0 3.7 9.2 18.3 .502 0.0 0.1 .000 3.7 5.5 .676
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson 5 38.6 21.2 5.0 11.6 16.6 1.4 0.4 1.6 3.4 4.6 8.6 20.0 .430 0.2 0.2 1.000 3.8 7.4 .514

Season 3

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2003-041985-86
Team Memphis GrizzliesHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Grizzlies Lost West Conf 1st RdRockets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 78 31.5 17.7 2.6 5.1 7.7 2.5 0.6 1.7 2.4 2.4 6.5 13.4 .482 0.1 0.2 .267 4.7 6.6 .714
Ralph Sampson 79 36.3 18.9 3.3 7.9 11.1 3.6 1.3 1.6 3.6 3.9 7.9 16.2 .488 0.0 0.2 .133 3.1 4.8 .641
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 4 33.5 18.5 1.0 4.0 5.0 2.5 1.0 1.5 1.3 2.5 7.0 12.3 .571 0.0 0.0 - 4.5 5.0 .900
Ralph Sampson 20 37.1 20.0 3.3 7.5 10.8 4.0 1.5 1.8 3.6 4.0 7.8 15.1 .518 0.1 0.1 1.000 4.3 5.9 .729

Season 4

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2004-051986-87
Team Memphis GrizzliesHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Grizzlies Lost West Conf 1st RdRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 56 32.0 17.8 2.3 5.0 7.3 2.4 0.7 1.7 2.4 2.6 6.4 12.4 .514 0.0 0.1 .167 5.0 6.6 .768
Ralph Sampson 43 30.8 15.6 2.0 6.6 8.7 2.8 0.9 1.3 2.9 3.9 6.4 13.2 .489 0.0 0.1 .000 2.7 4.4 .624
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 4 33.0 21.3 3.8 3.8 7.5 2.5 0.5 1.8 1.8 3.0 9.8 20.0 .488 0.3 0.3 1.000 1.5 3.0 .500
Ralph Sampson 10 33.0 18.6 2.7 6.1 8.8 2.1 0.2 1.2 3.1 4.7 7.5 14.6 .514 0.1 0.2 .500 3.5 4.3 .814

Season 5

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2005-061987-88
Team Memphis GrizzliesHouston Rockets, Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Grizzlies Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 80 39.2 20.4 2.4 6.5 8.9 4.6 0.6 1.9 2.9 2.3 7.5 14.9 .503 0.0 0.2 .250 5.3 7.7 .689
Ralph Sampson 48 34.6 15.6 2.9 6.7 9.6 2.5 0.9 1.8 3.6 3.4 6.2 14.2 .438 0.0 0.2 .182 3.1 4.1 .760
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 4 39.5 20.3 1.0 5.8 6.8 3.0 0.5 1.3 2.8 2.8 7.3 16.8 .433 0.0 0.3 .000 5.8 7.5 .767
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2006-071988-89
Team Memphis GrizzliesGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 59 36.2 20.8 2.5 7.3 9.8 3.4 0.5 2.1 2.7 2.3 7.8 14.5 .538 0.1 0.2 .273 5.1 6.8 .748
Ralph Sampson 61 17.8 6.4 1.7 3.3 5.0 1.3 0.5 1.1 1.5 2.8 2.7 6.0 .449 0.0 0.1 .375 1.0 1.6 .653
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson 3 14.3 6.7 2.0 2.7 4.7 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.3 2.7 3.0 7.3 .409 0.0 1.3 .000 0.7 1.3 .500

Season 7

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2007-081989-90
Team Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles LakersSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 66 35.6 18.9 2.3 6.0 8.4 3.2 0.5 1.5 1.9 2.1 7.2 13.5 .534 0.1 0.2 .250 4.4 5.5 .807
Ralph Sampson 26 16.0 4.2 0.4 2.8 3.2 1.1 0.5 0.8 1.3 2.5 1.8 5.0 .372 0.0 0.2 .250 0.5 0.9 .522
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 21 39.8 16.9 2.6 6.7 9.3 4.0 0.5 1.9 2.1 2.9 6.7 12.7 .530 0.0 0.0 - 3.4 5.0 .692
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2008-091990-91
Team Los Angeles LakersSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 81 37.0 18.9 3.2 6.4 9.6 3.5 0.6 1.0 1.9 2.1 7.3 12.9 .567 0.0 0.0 .500 4.2 5.4 .781
Ralph Sampson 25 13.9 3.0 1.6 2.8 4.4 0.7 0.4 0.7 1.1 2.2 1.4 3.7 .366 0.0 0.2 .200 0.2 0.8 .263
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 23 40.5 18.3 3.0 7.9 10.8 2.5 0.8 2.0 1.9 3.0 7.0 12.0 .580 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 6.1 .714
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2009-101991-92
Team Los Angeles LakersWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 65 37.0 18.3 3.7 7.6 11.3 3.4 0.6 1.7 2.2 2.3 7.0 13.0 .536 0.0 0.1 .000 4.4 5.6 .790
Ralph Sampson 10 10.8 2.2 1.1 1.9 3.0 0.4 0.3 0.8 1.0 1.4 0.9 2.9 .310 0.0 0.2 .000 0.4 0.6 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 23 39.7 19.6 4.0 7.1 11.1 3.5 0.4 2.1 1.9 2.7 7.2 13.3 .539 0.0 0.1 .000 5.2 6.9 .759
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2010-11-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 82 37.0 18.8 3.3 6.9 10.2 3.3 0.6 1.6 1.7 2.5 7.2 13.7 .529 0.0 0.0 .333 4.3 5.2 .823
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 10 35.8 13.1 3.2 4.6 7.8 3.8 0.4 1.7 1.7 3.3 4.7 11.2 .420 0.1 0.2 .500 3.6 4.5 .800
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2011-12-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 65 37.4 17.4 2.8 7.6 10.4 3.6 0.6 1.4 2.2 2.0 7.1 14.1 .501 0.1 0.4 .259 3.1 4.0 .782
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 12 37.0 12.5 3.2 6.3 9.5 3.7 0.5 2.1 1.7 3.0 5.2 11.9 .434 0.2 0.4 .400 2.0 2.4 .828
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2012-13-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Pau Gasol 49 33.8 13.7 2.3 6.3 8.6 4.1 0.5 1.2 2.1 1.9 5.5 11.8 .466 0.2 0.6 .286 2.6 3.6 .702
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 4 36.5 14.0 1.8 9.8 11.5 6.5 0.5 0.8 3.3 1.0 6.3 13.0 .481 0.0 0.0 - 1.5 2.8 .545
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2013-14-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
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 %
Pau Gasol 60 31.4 17.4 2.1 7.6 9.7 3.4 0.5 1.5 2.4 2.1 7.1 14.8 .480 0.1 0.2 .286 3.1 4.2 .736
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2014-15-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 78 34.4 18.5 2.8 9.0 11.8 2.7 0.3 1.9 2.0 1.9 7.3 14.8 .494 0.2 0.3 .462 3.8 4.7 .803
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 10 31.7 14.4 1.7 7.7 9.4 3.1 0.5 2.1 2.1 1.8 5.6 11.5 .487 0.0 0.4 .000 3.2 4.2 .762
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2015-16-
Team Chicago Bulls-
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 %
Pau Gasol 72 31.8 16.5 2.2 8.9 11.0 4.1 0.6 2.0 2.3 2.1 6.5 13.8 .469 0.3 1.0 .348 3.2 4.0 .792
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2016-17-
Team San Antonio Spurs-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 64 25.4 12.4 1.7 6.2 7.8 2.3 0.4 1.1 1.3 1.7 4.7 9.4 .502 0.9 1.6 .538 2.0 2.9 .707
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 16 22.8 7.7 2.4 4.7 7.1 1.9 0.4 0.9 1.1 2.2 3.1 7.1 .439 0.4 1.1 .333 1.1 1.5 .708
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2017-18-
Team San Antonio Spurs-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Spurs 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 %
Pau Gasol 77 23.5 10.1 1.7 6.4 8.0 3.1 0.3 1.0 1.4 1.6 3.7 8.1 .458 0.6 1.6 .358 2.1 2.7 .756
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol 5 18.0 6.0 0.4 4.4 4.8 2.8 0.0 0.2 1.2 1.0 2.0 4.0 .500 0.2 0.6 .333 1.8 2.0 .900
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Pau Gasol Ralph Sampson
Season 2018-19-
Team San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks-
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 %
Pau Gasol 30 12.0 3.9 0.7 3.8 4.6 1.7 0.2 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.4 3.1 .447 0.2 0.4 .462 0.9 1.3 .700
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Pau Gasol ------- --- ----------
Ralph Sampson ------- --- ----------