James Harden vs. Paul Pierce Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Paul Pierce 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
Paul Pierce: 1998-99 to 2016-17

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Paul Pierce 1

NBA Seasons James Harden 16 Paul Pierce 19

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 Paul Pierce 14

All-Star Games James Harden 11 Paul Pierce 10

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Paul Pierce 0

Finals MVP James Harden 0 Paul Pierce 1

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Paul Pierce 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 Paul Pierce 4

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Paul Pierce 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Paul Pierce 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 Paul Pierce 19.7

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Paul Pierce 5.6

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 Paul Pierce 3.5

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Paul Pierce 1.3

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Paul Pierce 0.6

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 27,687 Paul Pierce 26,397

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,473 Paul Pierce 7,527

Total Assists James Harden 8,316 Paul Pierce 4,708

Total Steals James Harden 1,715 Paul Pierce 1,752

Total Blocks James Harden 655 Paul Pierce 745

Total Games James Harden 1,151 Paul Pierce 1,343

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 Paul Pierce .445

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 Paul Pierce .368

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .861 Paul Pierce .806

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Paul Pierce 26.8 (2006)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Paul Pierce 7.3 (2003)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Paul Pierce 5.1 (2004)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Paul Pierce 2.1 (2000)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Paul Pierce 1.0 (2002)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 Paul Pierce 18.7

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Paul Pierce 5.8

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 Paul Pierce 3.4

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 Paul Pierce 1.2

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Paul Pierce 0.6

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 Paul Pierce 3,180

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 Paul Pierce 985

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 Paul Pierce 579

Total Steals James Harden 282 Paul Pierce 204

Total Blocks James Harden 98 Paul Pierce 105

Total Games James Harden 173 Paul Pierce 170

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Paul Pierce .423

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Paul Pierce .355

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 Paul Pierce .830

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Paul Pierce 27.1 (2003)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Paul Pierce 9.0 (2003)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) Paul Pierce 6.7 (2003)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Paul Pierce 2.1 (2003)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) Paul Pierce 1.4 (2005)