Don Nelson vs. Dirk Nowitzki Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Don Nelson 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

Don Nelson

vs.

Dirk Nowitzki

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Don Nelson: 1962-63 to 1975-76
Dirk Nowitzki: 1998-99 to 2018-19

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Don Nelson 5 Dirk Nowitzki 1

NBA Seasons Don Nelson 14 Dirk Nowitzki 21

Playoffs Played Don Nelson 11 Dirk Nowitzki 15

All-Star Games Don Nelson 0 Dirk Nowitzki 14

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Don Nelson 0 Dirk Nowitzki 1

Finals MVP Don Nelson 0 * Dirk Nowitzki 1

All-NBA First Team Don Nelson 0 Dirk Nowitzki 4

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Don Nelson 0 Dirk Nowitzki 12

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.3 Dirk Nowitzki 20.7

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.9 Dirk Nowitzki 7.5

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Dirk Nowitzki 2.4

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Dirk Nowitzki 0.8

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Dirk Nowitzki 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 10,898 Dirk Nowitzki 31,560

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 5,192 Dirk Nowitzki 11,489

Total Assists Don Nelson 1,526 Dirk Nowitzki 3,651

Total Steals Don Nelson 65 * Dirk Nowitzki 1,210

Total Blocks Don Nelson 35 * Dirk Nowitzki 1,281

Total Games Don Nelson 1,053 Dirk Nowitzki 1,522

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .480 Dirk Nowitzki .471

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Dirk Nowitzki .380

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .765 Dirk Nowitzki .879

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1970) Dirk Nowitzki 26.6 (2006)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.3 (1970) Dirk Nowitzki 9.9 (2002)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.3 (1972) Dirk Nowitzki 3.5 (2008)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1975) * Dirk Nowitzki 1.4 (2003)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Dirk Nowitzki 1.5 (2005)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.5 Dirk Nowitzki 25.3

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.8 Dirk Nowitzki 10.0

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Dirk Nowitzki 2.5

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Dirk Nowitzki 1.0

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Dirk Nowitzki 0.9

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 1,577 Dirk Nowitzki 3,663

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 719 Dirk Nowitzki 1,446

Total Assists Don Nelson 210 Dirk Nowitzki 360

Total Steals Don Nelson 13 * Dirk Nowitzki 149

Total Blocks Don Nelson 7 * Dirk Nowitzki 129

Total Games Don Nelson 150 Dirk Nowitzki 145

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .498 Dirk Nowitzki .462

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Dirk Nowitzki .365

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .817 Dirk Nowitzki .892

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1975) Dirk Nowitzki 28.4 (2002)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.5 (1968) Dirk Nowitzki 13.1 (2002)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.4 (1975) Dirk Nowitzki 4.0 (2008)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1974) * Dirk Nowitzki 2.0 (2002)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Dirk Nowitzki 2.6 (2004)

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.