Dave DeBusschere vs. Michael Jordan Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Michael Jordan and Dave DeBusschere, 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.

Dave DeBusschere played 12 years in the NBA, 3 less than Michael Jordan, who played 15. Dave DeBusschere had the first of his seasons in 1962-63, while Michael Jordan had his rookie season in 1984-85. 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
Dave DeBusschere 12 8 1962-63 to 1973-74
Michael Jordan 15 13 1984-85 to 2002-03

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1962-631984-85
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Div SemisBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 80 29.4 12.7 - - 8.7 2.6 - - - 3.1 5.1 11.8 .430 - - - 2.6 3.6 .718
Michael Jordan 82 38.3 28.2 2.0 4.5 6.5 5.9 2.4 0.8 3.5 3.5 10.2 19.8 .515 0.1 0.6 .173 7.7 9.1 .845
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 4 39.8 20.0 - - 15.8 1.5 - - - 3.5 6.3 14.8 .424 - - - 7.5 11.0 .682
Michael Jordan 4 42.8 29.3 1.8 4.0 5.8 8.5 2.8 1.0 3.8 3.8 8.5 19.5 .436 0.3 2.0 .125 12.0 14.5 .828

Season 2

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1963-641985-86
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 15 20.3 8.6 - - 7.0 1.5 - - - 2.1 3.5 8.9 .391 - - - 1.7 2.9 .581
Michael Jordan 18 25.1 22.7 1.3 2.3 3.6 2.9 2.1 1.2 2.5 2.6 8.3 18.2 .457 0.2 1.0 .167 5.8 6.9 .840
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 3 45.0 43.7 1.7 4.7 6.3 5.7 2.3 1.3 4.7 4.3 16.0 31.7 .505 0.3 0.3 1.000 11.3 13.0 .872

Season 3

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1964-651986-87
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 79 35.1 16.7 - - 11.1 3.2 - - - 3.1 6.4 15.1 .425 - - - 3.9 5.5 .700
Michael Jordan 82 40.0 37.1 2.0 3.2 5.2 4.6 2.9 1.5 3.3 2.9 13.4 27.8 .482 0.1 0.8 .182 10.2 11.9 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 3 42.7 35.7 2.3 4.7 7.0 6.0 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.7 11.7 28.0 .417 0.7 1.7 .400 11.7 13.0 .897

Season 4

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1965-661987-88
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement Steals Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls 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 %
Dave DeBusschere 79 34.1 16.4 - - 11.6 2.6 - - - 3.2 6.6 16.3 .408 - - - 3.2 4.8 .659
Michael Jordan 82 40.4 35.0 1.7 3.8 5.5 5.9 3.2 1.6 3.1 3.3 13.0 24.4 .535 0.1 0.6 .132 8.8 10.5 .841
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 10 42.7 36.3 2.3 4.8 7.1 4.7 2.4 1.1 3.9 3.8 13.8 26.0 .531 0.1 0.3 .333 8.6 9.9 .869

Season 5

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1966-671988-89
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 78 37.1 18.2 - - 11.8 2.8 - - - 3.8 6.8 16.4 .415 - - - 4.6 6.6 .705
Michael Jordan 81 40.2 32.5 1.8 6.2 8.0 8.0 2.9 0.8 3.6 3.0 11.9 22.2 .538 0.3 1.2 .276 8.3 9.8 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 17 42.2 34.8 1.5 5.5 7.0 7.6 2.5 0.8 4.0 3.8 11.7 22.9 .510 0.6 2.1 .286 10.8 13.5 .799

Season 6

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1967-681989-90
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement Steals Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost East Div SemisBulls Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 80 39.1 17.9 - - 13.5 2.3 - - - 3.8 7.2 16.2 .442 - - - 3.6 5.4 .664
Michael Jordan 82 39.0 33.6 1.7 5.1 6.9 6.3 2.8 0.7 3.0 2.9 12.6 24.0 .526 1.1 3.0 .376 7.2 8.5 .848
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 6 43.8 19.3 - - 16.2 2.2 - - - 3.8 7.5 17.7 .425 - - - 4.3 7.5 .578
Michael Jordan 16 42.1 36.7 1.5 5.7 7.2 6.8 2.8 0.9 3.5 3.4 13.7 26.6 .514 1.0 3.1 .320 8.3 9.9 .836

Season 7

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1968-691990-91
Team Detroit Pistons, New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 76 38.7 16.3 - - 11.7 2.5 - - - 3.8 6.7 15.0 .444 - - - 3.0 4.3 .698
Michael Jordan 82 37.0 31.5 1.4 4.6 6.0 5.5 2.7 1.0 2.5 2.8 12.1 22.4 .539 0.4 1.1 .312 7.0 8.2 .851
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 10 41.9 16.3 - - 14.8 3.3 - - - 4.3 6.1 17.4 .351 - - - 4.1 5.0 .820
Michael Jordan 17 40.5 31.1 1.1 5.3 6.4 8.4 2.4 1.4 2.5 3.1 11.6 22.1 .524 0.6 1.5 .385 7.4 8.7 .845

Season 8

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1969-701991-92
Team New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 79 33.3 14.6 - - 10.0 2.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 13.7 .451 - - - 2.2 3.2 .688
Michael Jordan 80 38.8 30.1 1.1 5.3 6.4 6.1 2.3 0.9 2.5 2.5 11.8 22.7 .519 0.3 1.3 .270 6.1 7.4 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 19 36.9 16.1 - - 11.6 2.4 - - - 3.3 6.8 16.3 .421 - - - 2.4 3.6 .662
Michael Jordan 22 41.8 34.5 1.7 4.5 6.2 5.8 2.0 0.7 3.7 2.8 13.2 26.4 .499 0.8 2.0 .386 7.4 8.6 .857

Season 9

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1970-711992-93
Team New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement Steals Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 81 35.7 15.6 - - 11.1 2.7 - - - 2.9 6.5 15.3 .421 - - - 2.7 3.9 .696
Michael Jordan 78 39.3 32.6 1.7 5.0 6.7 5.5 2.8 0.8 2.7 2.4 12.7 25.7 .495 1.0 2.9 .352 6.1 7.3 .837
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 12 40.7 16.4 - - 13.0 1.8 - - - 3.3 7.0 16.8 .416 - - - 2.4 3.7 .659
Michael Jordan 19 41.2 35.1 1.7 5.1 6.7 6.0 2.1 0.9 2.4 3.1 13.2 27.8 .475 1.5 3.8 .389 7.2 8.9 .805

Note: Michael Jordan didn't play in 1993-94.

Season 10

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1971-721994-95
Team New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA FinalsBulls 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 %
Dave DeBusschere 80 38.4 15.4 - - 11.3 3.6 - - - 2.7 6.5 15.2 .427 - - - 2.4 3.3 .728
Michael Jordan 17 39.3 26.9 1.5 5.4 6.9 5.3 1.8 0.8 2.1 2.8 9.8 23.8 .411 0.9 1.9 .500 6.4 8.0 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 16 38.5 16.6 - - 12.1 2.3 - - - 3.2 6.8 15.1 .450 - - - 3.0 4.0 .750
Michael Jordan 10 42.0 31.5 2.0 4.5 6.5 4.5 2.3 1.4 4.1 3.0 12.0 24.8 .484 1.1 3.0 .367 6.4 7.9 .810

Season 11

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1972-731995-96
Team New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 77 36.7 16.3 - - 10.2 3.4 - - - 2.8 6.9 15.9 .435 - - - 2.5 3.4 .746
Michael Jordan 82 37.7 30.4 1.8 4.8 6.6 4.3 2.2 0.5 2.4 2.4 11.2 22.6 .495 1.4 3.2 .427 6.7 8.0 .834
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 17 37.2 15.6 - - 10.5 3.4 - - - 3.4 6.9 15.6 .442 - - - 1.8 2.4 .775
Michael Jordan 18 40.7 30.7 1.7 3.2 4.9 4.1 1.8 0.3 2.3 2.7 10.4 22.6 .459 1.4 3.4 .403 8.5 10.4 .818

Season 12

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season 1973-741996-97
Team New York KnicksChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 71 38.0 18.1 1.9 8.8 10.7 3.6 0.9 0.5 - 3.1 7.9 17.1 .461 - - - 2.3 3.1 .756
Michael Jordan 82 37.9 29.6 1.4 4.5 5.9 4.3 1.7 0.5 2.0 1.9 11.2 23.1 .486 1.4 3.6 .374 5.9 7.0 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere 12 33.7 12.0 2.1 6.2 8.3 3.2 0.6 0.3 - 3.0 5.3 13.8 .380 - - - 1.5 2.4 .621
Michael Jordan 19 42.3 31.1 2.2 5.7 7.9 4.8 1.6 0.9 2.6 2.4 11.9 26.2 .456 0.7 3.5 .194 6.5 7.8 .831

Season 13

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season -1997-98
Team -Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
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 %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 82 38.8 28.7 1.6 4.2 5.8 3.5 1.7 0.5 2.3 1.8 10.7 23.1 .465 0.4 1.5 .238 6.9 8.8 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 21 41.5 32.4 1.6 3.5 5.1 3.5 1.5 0.6 2.1 2.2 11.6 25.0 .462 0.6 2.0 .302 8.6 10.6 .812

Note: Michael Jordan didn't play in 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01.

Season 14

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season -2001-02
Team -Washington Wizards
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 %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 60 34.9 22.9 0.8 4.8 5.7 5.2 1.4 0.4 2.7 2.0 9.2 22.1 .416 0.2 0.9 .189 4.4 5.6 .790
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Dave DeBusschere Michael Jordan
Season -2002-03
Team -Washington Wizards
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 %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan 82 37.0 20.0 0.9 5.2 6.1 3.8 1.5 0.5 2.1 2.1 8.3 18.6 .445 0.2 0.7 .291 3.2 4.0 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave DeBusschere ------- --- ----------
Michael Jordan ------- --- ----------