Karl Malone vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond 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.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Nate Thurmond 0

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Nate Thurmond 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Nate Thurmond 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) 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.