James Harden vs. John Paxson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars John Paxson 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
John Paxson: 1983-84 to 1993-94

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 John Paxson 3

NBA Seasons James Harden 16 John Paxson 11

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 John Paxson 10

All-Star Games James Harden 11 John Paxson 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 John Paxson 0

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 John Paxson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 John Paxson 0

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 John Paxson 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 John Paxson 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 John Paxson 7.2

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 John Paxson 1.2

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 John Paxson 3.6

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 John Paxson 0.7

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 John Paxson 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 27,687 John Paxson 5,560

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,473 John Paxson 906

Total Assists James Harden 8,316 John Paxson 2,758

Total Steals James Harden 1,715 John Paxson 517

Total Blocks James Harden 655 John Paxson 44

Total Games James Harden 1,151 John Paxson 772

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 John Paxson .499

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 John Paxson .355

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .861 John Paxson .804

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) John Paxson 11.3 (1987)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) John Paxson 1.7 (1987)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) John Paxson 5.7 (1987)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) John Paxson 1.0 (1990)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) John Paxson 0.1 (1992)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 John Paxson 6.3

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 John Paxson 0.9

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 John Paxson 2.6

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 John Paxson 0.5

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 John Paxson 0.0

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 John Paxson 748

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 John Paxson 109

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 John Paxson 306

Total Steals James Harden 282 John Paxson 65

Total Blocks James Harden 98 John Paxson 3

Total Games James Harden 173 John Paxson 119

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 John Paxson .494

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 John Paxson .369

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 John Paxson .867

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) John Paxson 10.2 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) John Paxson 1.5 (1990)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) John Paxson 4.2 (1985)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) John Paxson 1.0 (1986)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) John Paxson 0.1 (1988)