Don Nelson vs. Shaquille O'Neal Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal 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.

Shaquille O'Neal

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Don Nelson: 1962-63 to 1975-76
Shaquille O'Neal: 1992-93 to 2010-11

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Don Nelson 5 Shaquille O'Neal 4

NBA Seasons Don Nelson 14 Shaquille O'Neal 19

Playoffs Played Don Nelson 11 Shaquille O'Neal 17

All-Star Games Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 15

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 1

Finals MVP Don Nelson 0 * Shaquille O'Neal 3

All-NBA First Team Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 8

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 14

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 3

Scoring Leader Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 2

Rookie of The Year Don Nelson 0 Shaquille O'Neal 1

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.3 Shaquille O'Neal 23.7

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.9 Shaquille O'Neal 10.9

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Shaquille O'Neal 2.5

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Shaquille O'Neal 0.6

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Shaquille O'Neal 2.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 10,898 Shaquille O'Neal 28,596

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 5,192 Shaquille O'Neal 13,099

Total Assists Don Nelson 1,526 Shaquille O'Neal 3,026

Total Steals Don Nelson 65 * Shaquille O'Neal 739

Total Blocks Don Nelson 35 * Shaquille O'Neal 2,732

Total Games Don Nelson 1,053 Shaquille O'Neal 1,207

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .480 Shaquille O'Neal .582

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Shaquille O'Neal .045

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .765 Shaquille O'Neal .527

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1970) Shaquille O'Neal 29.7 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.3 (1970) Shaquille O'Neal 13.9 (1993)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.3 (1972) Shaquille O'Neal 3.8 (2000)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1975) * Shaquille O'Neal 0.9 (1994)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Shaquille O'Neal 3.5 (1993)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.5 Shaquille O'Neal 24.3

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.8 Shaquille O'Neal 11.6

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Shaquille O'Neal 2.7

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Shaquille O'Neal 0.5

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Shaquille O'Neal 2.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 1,577 Shaquille O'Neal 5,250

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 719 Shaquille O'Neal 2,508

Total Assists Don Nelson 210 Shaquille O'Neal 582

Total Steals Don Nelson 13 * Shaquille O'Neal 117

Total Blocks Don Nelson 7 * Shaquille O'Neal 459

Total Games Don Nelson 150 Shaquille O'Neal 216

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .498 Shaquille O'Neal .563

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Shaquille O'Neal -

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .817 Shaquille O'Neal .504

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1975) Shaquille O'Neal 30.7 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.5 (1968) Shaquille O'Neal 15.4 (2001)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.4 (1975) Shaquille O'Neal 4.6 (1996)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1974) * Shaquille O'Neal 1.0 (2008)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Shaquille O'Neal 3.0 (1994)

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.