John Salley vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and John Salley 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

John Salley

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
John Salley: 1986-87 to 1999-00
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships John Salley 4 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons John Salley 11 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played John Salley 9 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games John Salley 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team John Salley 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) John Salley 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Salley 7.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game John Salley 4.5 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game John Salley 1.2 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game John Salley 0.6 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game John Salley 1.3 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points John Salley 5,228 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds John Salley 3,356 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists John Salley 916 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals John Salley 451 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks John Salley 983 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games John Salley 748 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Salley .506 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage John Salley .214 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Salley .714 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Salley 9.5 (1992) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game John Salley 6.1 (1993) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game John Salley 1.8 (1994) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game John Salley 0.7 (1994) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game John Salley 1.9 (1990) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Salley 6.4 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game John Salley 4.4 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game John Salley 0.8 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game John Salley 0.4 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game John Salley 1.2 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points John Salley 857 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds John Salley 588 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists John Salley 104 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals John Salley 49 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks John Salley 159 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games John Salley 134 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Salley .505 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage John Salley .000 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Salley .690 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Salley 12.6 (1992) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game John Salley 8.0 (1994) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game John Salley 2.8 (1992) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game John Salley 0.7 (1988) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game John Salley 2.8 (1992) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

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.