Karl Malone vs. Gary Payton II Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Gary Payton II 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Gary Payton II: 2016-17 to 2025-26

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Gary Payton II 1

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Gary Payton II 10

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Gary Payton II 3

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Gary Payton II 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Gary Payton II 0

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Gary Payton II 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Gary Payton II 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Gary Payton II 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Gary Payton II 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Gary Payton II 5.4

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Gary Payton II 2.8

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Gary Payton II 1.1

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Gary Payton II 0.9

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Gary Payton II 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Gary Payton II 1,497

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Gary Payton II 777

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Gary Payton II 316

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Gary Payton II 263

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Gary Payton II 80

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Gary Payton II 277

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Gary Payton II .556

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Gary Payton II .335

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Gary Payton II .625

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Gary Payton II 7.1 (2022)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Gary Payton II 3.5 (2022)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Gary Payton II 2.2 (2017)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Gary Payton II 1.4 (2022)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Gary Payton II 0.7 (2017)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Gary Payton II 6.0

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Gary Payton II 3.0

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Gary Payton II 1.2

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Gary Payton II 0.9

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Gary Payton II 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Gary Payton II 211

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Gary Payton II 105

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Gary Payton II 41

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Gary Payton II 32

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Gary Payton II 13

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Gary Payton II 35

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Gary Payton II .593

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Gary Payton II .396

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Gary Payton II .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Gary Payton II 6.8 (2023)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Gary Payton II 3.7 (2023)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Gary Payton II 1.5 (2025)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Gary Payton II 1.2 (2022)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) Gary Payton II 0.6 (2022)