James Harden vs. Gary Payton II Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Gary Payton II 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 2025-26
Gary Payton II: 2016-17 to 2025-26

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Gary Payton II 1

NBA Seasons James Harden 17 Gary Payton II 10

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 Gary Payton II 3

All-Star Games James Harden 11 Gary Payton II 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Gary Payton II 0

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Gary Payton II 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 Gary Payton II 0

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Gary Payton II 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Gary Payton II 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.0 Gary Payton II 5.4

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Gary Payton II 2.8

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 Gary Payton II 1.1

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Gary Payton II 0.9

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Gary Payton II 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 27,796 Gary Payton II 1,497

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,497 Gary Payton II 777

Total Assists James Harden 8,362 Gary Payton II 316

Total Steals James Harden 1,722 Gary Payton II 263

Total Blocks James Harden 656 Gary Payton II 80

Total Games James Harden 1,156 Gary Payton II 277

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 Gary Payton II .556

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 Gary Payton II .335

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .862 Gary Payton II .625

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Gary Payton II 7.1 (2022)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Gary Payton II 3.5 (2022)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Gary Payton II 2.2 (2017)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Gary Payton II 1.4 (2022)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Gary Payton II 0.7 (2017)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 Gary Payton II 6.0

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Gary Payton II 3.0

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 Gary Payton II 1.2

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 Gary Payton II 0.9

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Gary Payton II 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 Gary Payton II 211

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 Gary Payton II 105

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 Gary Payton II 41

Total Steals James Harden 282 Gary Payton II 32

Total Blocks James Harden 98 Gary Payton II 13

Total Games James Harden 173 Gary Payton II 35

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Gary Payton II .593

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Gary Payton II .396

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 Gary Payton II .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Gary Payton II 6.8 (2023)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Gary Payton II 3.7 (2023)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) Gary Payton II 1.5 (2025)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Gary Payton II 1.2 (2022)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) Gary Payton II 0.6 (2022)