Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. David Thompson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of David Thompson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 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.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 years in the NBA, 12 more than David Thompson, who played 8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the first of his seasons in 1969-70, while David Thompson had his rookie season in 1976-77. 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
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20 18 1969-70 to 1988-89
David Thompson 8 5 1976-77 to 1983-84

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

Rookie Season

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1969-701976-77
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Div FinalsNuggets 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 43.1 28.8 - - 14.5 4.1 - - - 3.5 11.4 22.1 .518 - - - 5.9 9.1 .653
David Thompson 82 36.6 25.9 1.7 2.4 4.1 4.1 1.4 0.6 - 2.9 10.0 19.8 .507 - - - 5.8 7.6 .766
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 43.5 35.2 - - 16.8 4.1 - - - 2.5 13.9 24.5 .567 - - - 7.4 10.1 .733
David Thompson 6 39.5 24.7 2.2 3.0 5.2 4.0 1.5 0.7 - 3.7 9.3 20.2 .463 - - - 6.0 8.8 .679

Season 2

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1970-711977-78
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNuggets 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 40.1 31.7 - - 16.0 3.3 - - - 3.2 13.0 22.5 .577 - - - 5.7 8.3 .690
David Thompson 80 37.8 27.2 2.0 2.9 4.9 4.5 1.2 1.2 3.1 2.7 10.3 19.8 .521 - - - 6.5 8.4 .778
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 41.2 26.6 - - 17.0 2.5 - - - 3.2 10.9 21.1 .515 - - - 4.9 7.2 .673
David Thompson 13 37.0 25.2 1.4 2.7 4.1 4.0 0.7 1.6 3.0 2.6 10.1 22.4 .450 - - - 5.1 6.2 .825

Season 3

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1971-721978-79
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf FinalsNuggets 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 81 44.2 34.8 - - 16.6 4.6 - - - 2.9 14.3 24.9 .574 - - - 6.2 9.0 .689
David Thompson 76 35.1 24.0 1.4 2.2 3.6 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.4 2.4 9.1 17.8 .512 - - - 5.8 7.7 .753
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 46.4 28.7 - - 18.2 5.1 - - - 3.2 12.6 28.9 .437 - - - 3.5 4.9 .704
David Thompson 3 40.7 28.0 2.3 4.7 7.0 4.0 1.3 0.3 4.0 4.0 12.7 23.0 .551 - - - 2.7 3.7 .727

Season 4

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1972-731979-80
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 76 42.8 30.2 - - 16.1 5.0 - - - 2.7 12.9 23.3 .554 - - - 4.3 6.1 .713
David Thompson 39 31.8 21.5 1.4 3.0 4.5 3.2 1.0 1.0 3.0 2.7 7.4 15.8 .468 0.2 0.5 .368 6.5 8.6 .758
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6 46.0 22.8 - - 16.2 2.8 - - - 4.3 9.8 23.0 .428 - - - 3.2 5.8 .543
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1973-741980-81
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 81 43.8 27.0 3.5 11.0 14.5 4.8 1.4 3.5 - 2.9 11.7 21.7 .539 - - - 3.6 5.2 .702
David Thompson 77 34.0 25.5 1.4 2.3 3.7 3.0 0.7 0.8 3.2 3.0 9.5 18.8 .506 0.1 0.5 .256 6.4 8.0 .795
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 47.4 32.2 4.2 11.6 15.8 4.9 1.3 2.4 - 2.6 14.0 25.1 .557 - - - 4.2 5.7 .736
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1974-751981-82
Team Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 65 42.3 30.0 3.0 11.0 14.0 4.1 1.0 3.3 - 3.2 12.5 24.4 .513 - - - 5.0 6.6 .763
David Thompson 61 20.4 14.9 0.9 1.5 2.4 1.9 0.6 0.5 2.3 2.4 5.1 10.6 .486 0.1 0.2 .286 4.5 5.6 .814
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ------- --- ----------
David Thompson 3 22.0 11.7 1.3 2.0 3.3 2.0 0.3 0.0 2.7 2.7 5.0 11.0 .455 0.3 1.0 .333 1.3 2.3 .571

Season 7

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1975-761982-83
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 41.2 27.7 3.3 13.5 16.9 5.0 1.5 4.1 - 3.6 11.1 21.1 .529 - - - 5.5 7.8 .703
David Thompson 75 28.7 15.9 1.3 2.3 3.6 3.0 0.6 0.4 2.2 1.9 5.9 12.3 .481 0.0 0.1 .200 4.0 5.1 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ------- --- ----------
David Thompson 2 32.5 12.0 0.0 0.0 0 3.5 0.5 0.5 2.0 3.5 4.5 12.5 .360 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 5.0 .600

Season 8

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1976-771983-84
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 36.8 26.2 3.2 10.0 13.3 3.9 1.2 3.2 - 3.2 10.8 18.7 .579 - - - 4.6 6.5 .701
David Thompson 19 18.4 12.6 0.9 1.4 2.3 0.7 0.5 0.7 1.4 1.6 4.7 8.7 .539 0.0 0.1 .000 3.3 3.8 .849
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 42.5 34.6 4.6 13.1 17.7 4.1 1.7 3.5 - 3.8 13.4 22.0 .607 - - - 7.9 10.9 .725
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1977-78-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 62 36.5 25.8 3.0 9.9 12.9 4.3 1.7 3.0 3.4 2.9 10.7 19.4 .550 - - - 4.4 5.6 .783
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3 44.7 27.0 4.7 9.0 13.7 3.7 0.7 4.0 4.7 4.7 12.7 24.3 .521 - - - 1.7 3.0 .556
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1978-79-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 80 39.5 23.8 2.6 10.2 12.8 5.4 1.0 4.0 3.5 2.9 9.7 16.8 .577 - - - 4.4 5.9 .736
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8 45.9 28.5 2.3 10.4 12.6 4.8 1.0 4.1 3.6 3.3 11.0 19.0 .579 - - - 6.5 7.8 .839
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1979-80-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 38.3 24.8 2.3 8.5 10.8 4.5 1.0 3.4 3.6 2.6 10.2 16.9 .604 0.0 0.0 .000 4.4 5.8 .765
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 41.2 31.9 3.4 8.7 12.1 3.1 1.1 3.9 3.7 3.4 13.2 23.1 .572 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 7.0 .790
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1980-81-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 80 37.2 26.2 2.5 7.8 10.3 3.4 0.7 2.9 3.1 3.1 10.5 18.2 .574 0.0 0.0 .000 5.3 6.9 .766
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3 44.7 26.7 4.3 12.3 16.7 4.0 1.0 2.7 3.7 4.7 10.0 21.7 .462 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 9.3 .714
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1981-82-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 76 35.2 23.9 2.3 6.4 8.7 3.0 0.8 2.7 3.0 2.9 9.9 17.1 .579 0.0 0.0 .000 4.1 5.8 .706
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 35.2 20.4 2.4 6.1 8.5 3.6 1.0 3.2 2.9 3.2 8.2 15.8 .520 0.0 0.0 - 3.9 6.2 .632
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1982-83-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 79 32.3 21.8 2.1 5.4 7.5 2.5 0.8 2.2 2.5 2.8 9.1 15.5 .588 0.0 0.0 .000 3.5 4.7 .749
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 39.2 27.1 1.7 6.0 7.7 2.8 1.1 3.7 3.3 4.1 10.9 19.1 .568 0.0 0.1 .000 5.3 7.1 .755
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1983-84-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 80 32.8 21.5 2.1 5.2 7.3 2.6 0.7 1.8 2.8 2.6 9.0 15.5 .578 0.0 0.0 .000 3.6 4.9 .723
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 36.5 23.9 2.7 5.6 8.2 3.8 1.1 2.1 2.1 3.4 9.8 17.7 .555 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 5.7 .750
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1984-85-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 79 33.3 22.0 2.1 5.8 7.9 3.2 0.8 2.1 2.5 3.0 9.2 15.3 .599 0.0 0.0 .000 3.7 5.0 .732
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19 32.1 21.9 2.6 5.5 8.1 4.0 1.2 1.9 2.7 3.5 8.8 15.8 .560 0.0 0.0 - 4.2 5.4 .777
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1985-86-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 79 33.3 23.4 1.7 4.4 6.1 3.5 0.8 1.6 2.6 3.1 9.6 16.9 .564 0.0 0.0 .000 4.3 5.6 .765
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 34.9 25.9 1.9 4.1 5.9 3.5 1.1 1.7 3.0 3.9 11.2 20.1 .557 0.0 0.0 - 3.4 4.4 .787
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1986-87-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 78 31.3 17.5 1.9 4.8 6.7 2.6 0.6 1.2 2.4 3.1 7.2 12.7 .564 0.0 0.0 .333 3.1 4.4 .714
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18 31.1 19.2 2.2 4.7 6.8 2.0 0.4 1.9 2.2 3.1 6.9 13.0 .530 0.0 0.1 .000 5.4 6.8 .795
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 19

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1987-88-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards 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 %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 80 28.9 14.6 1.5 4.5 6.0 1.7 0.6 1.2 2.0 2.7 6.0 11.3 .532 0.0 0.0 .000 2.6 3.4 .762
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 29.9 14.1 2.0 3.4 5.5 1.5 0.6 1.5 1.9 3.4 5.9 12.7 .464 0.0 0.1 .000 2.3 3.0 .789
David Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 20

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar David Thompson
Season 1988-89-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 74 22.9 10.1 1.4 3.1 4.5 1.0 0.5 1.1 1.3 2.6 4.2 8.9 .475 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 2.2 .739
David Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 23.4 11.1 0.9 3.1 3.9 1.3 0.3 0.7 1.5 2.9 4.5 9.8 .463 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 2.9 .721
David Thompson ------- --- ----------