James Harden vs. Dirk Nowitzki Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and James Harden 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
James Harden: 2009-10 to 2024-25
Dirk Nowitzki: 1998-99 to 2018-19

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Dirk Nowitzki 1

NBA Seasons James Harden 16 Dirk Nowitzki 21

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 Dirk Nowitzki 15

All-Star Games James Harden 11 Dirk Nowitzki 14

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Dirk Nowitzki 1

Finals MVP James Harden 0 Dirk Nowitzki 1

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Dirk Nowitzki 4

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 Dirk Nowitzki 12

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Dirk Nowitzki 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Dirk Nowitzki 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 Dirk Nowitzki 20.7

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Dirk Nowitzki 7.5

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 Dirk Nowitzki 2.4

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Dirk Nowitzki 0.8

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Dirk Nowitzki 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 27,687 Dirk Nowitzki 31,560

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,473 Dirk Nowitzki 11,489

Total Assists James Harden 8,316 Dirk Nowitzki 3,651

Total Steals James Harden 1,715 Dirk Nowitzki 1,210

Total Blocks James Harden 655 Dirk Nowitzki 1,281

Total Games James Harden 1,151 Dirk Nowitzki 1,522

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 Dirk Nowitzki .471

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 Dirk Nowitzki .380

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .861 Dirk Nowitzki .879

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Dirk Nowitzki 26.6 (2006)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Dirk Nowitzki 9.9 (2002)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Dirk Nowitzki 3.5 (2008)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Dirk Nowitzki 1.4 (2003)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Dirk Nowitzki 1.5 (2005)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 Dirk Nowitzki 25.3

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Dirk Nowitzki 10.0

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 Dirk Nowitzki 2.5

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 Dirk Nowitzki 1.0

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Dirk Nowitzki 0.9

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 Dirk Nowitzki 3,663

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 Dirk Nowitzki 1,446

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 Dirk Nowitzki 360

Total Steals James Harden 282 Dirk Nowitzki 149

Total Blocks James Harden 98 Dirk Nowitzki 129

Total Games James Harden 173 Dirk Nowitzki 145

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Dirk Nowitzki .462

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Dirk Nowitzki .365

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 Dirk Nowitzki .892

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Dirk Nowitzki 28.4 (2002)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Dirk Nowitzki 13.1 (2002)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) Dirk Nowitzki 4.0 (2008)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Dirk Nowitzki 2.0 (2002)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) Dirk Nowitzki 2.6 (2004)