Karl Malone vs. Earl Tatum Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Tatum and Karl Malone 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

Karl Malone

vs.

Earl Tatum

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Earl Tatum: 1976-77 to 1979-80

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Earl Tatum 4

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Earl Tatum 1

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Earl Tatum 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Earl Tatum 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Earl Tatum 2.6

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Earl Tatum 1.9

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Earl Tatum 1.2

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Earl Tatum 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Earl Tatum 2,508

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Earl Tatum 682

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Earl Tatum 507

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Earl Tatum 319

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Earl Tatum 101

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Earl Tatum 262

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Earl Tatum .459

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Earl Tatum .333 *

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Earl Tatum .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Earl Tatum 14.3 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Earl Tatum 1.7 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Earl Tatum 0.5 (1978)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Earl Tatum 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Earl Tatum 4.9

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Earl Tatum 2.5

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Earl Tatum 1.4

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Earl Tatum 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Earl Tatum 150

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Earl Tatum 54

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Earl Tatum 27

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Earl Tatum 15

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Earl Tatum 9

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Earl Tatum 11

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Earl Tatum .500

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Earl Tatum - *

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Earl Tatum .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Earl Tatum 13.6 (1977)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Earl Tatum 4.9 (1977)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Earl Tatum 2.5 (1977)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Earl Tatum 1.4 (1977)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) Earl Tatum 0.8 (1977)

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.