Ben McDonald vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Ben McDonald 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

Ben McDonald

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Ben McDonald: 1985-86 to 1988-89
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Ben McDonald 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Ben McDonald 4 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Ben McDonald 2 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Ben McDonald 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Ben McDonald 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Ben McDonald 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 6.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 3.2 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.3 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.4 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Ben McDonald 1,061 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Ben McDonald 568 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Ben McDonald 236 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Ben McDonald 77 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Ben McDonald 17 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Ben McDonald 176 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ben McDonald .468 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Ben McDonald .227 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ben McDonald .727 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 7.6 (1988) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 4.1 (1988) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.7 (1988) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.5 (1988) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 (1987) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 0.8 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 1.4 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.0 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.5 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Ben McDonald 8 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Ben McDonald 14 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Ben McDonald 10 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Ben McDonald 5 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Ben McDonald 1 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Ben McDonald 10 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ben McDonald .143 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Ben McDonald .000 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ben McDonald .500 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 1.2 (1989) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 1.6 (1989) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.8 (1987) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.6 (1989) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.2 (1989) 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.