Kawhi Leonard vs. Tom Sanders Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Sanders and Kawhi Leonard 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
Kawhi Leonard: 2011-12 to 2025-26
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Kawhi Leonard 2 Tom Sanders 8

NBA Seasons Kawhi Leonard 14 Tom Sanders 13

Playoffs Played Kawhi Leonard 12 Tom Sanders 11

All-Star Games Kawhi Leonard 6 Tom Sanders 0

Honors and Awards

Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard 2 Tom Sanders 0 *

All-NBA First Team Kawhi Leonard 3 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Kawhi Leonard 6 Tom Sanders 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Kawhi Leonard 3 Tom Sanders 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Kawhi Leonard 7 Tom Sanders 1

Defensive Player of The Year Kawhi Leonard 2 Tom Sanders 0 *

Steals Leader Kawhi Leonard 1 Tom Sanders 0 *

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83. Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Kawhi Leonard 20.1 Tom Sanders 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Kawhi Leonard 6.4 Tom Sanders 6.3

Assists Per Game Kawhi Leonard 3.1 Tom Sanders 1.1

Steals Per Game Kawhi Leonard 1.7 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kawhi Leonard 0.6 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Kawhi Leonard 14,879 Tom Sanders 8,766

Total Rebounds Kawhi Leonard 4,696 Tom Sanders 5,798

Total Assists Kawhi Leonard 2,257 Tom Sanders 1,026

Total Steals Kawhi Leonard 1,270 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Kawhi Leonard 475 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Kawhi Leonard 739 Tom Sanders 916

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Kawhi Leonard .499 Tom Sanders .428

3-Point Percentage Kawhi Leonard .392 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Kawhi Leonard .860 Tom Sanders .767

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Kawhi Leonard 27.1 (2020) Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Kawhi Leonard 7.3 (2019) Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962)

Assists Per Game Kawhi Leonard 5.2 (2021) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970)

Steals Per Game Kawhi Leonard 2.5 (2026) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kawhi Leonard 1.0 (2018) Tom Sanders - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Kawhi Leonard 21.5 Tom Sanders 8.8

Rebounds Per Game Kawhi Leonard 7.8 Tom Sanders 5.8

Assists Per Game Kawhi Leonard 3.0 Tom Sanders 1.0

Steals Per Game Kawhi Leonard 1.8 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kawhi Leonard 0.7 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Kawhi Leonard 3,133 Tom Sanders 1,142

Total Rebounds Kawhi Leonard 1,142 Tom Sanders 760

Total Assists Kawhi Leonard 432 Tom Sanders 127

Total Steals Kawhi Leonard 256 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Kawhi Leonard 99 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Kawhi Leonard 146 Tom Sanders 130

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Kawhi Leonard .513 Tom Sanders .436

3-Point Percentage Kawhi Leonard .399 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Kawhi Leonard .841 Tom Sanders .716

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Kawhi Leonard 34.5 (2023) Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Kawhi Leonard 9.3 (2020) Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965)

Assists Per Game Kawhi Leonard 6.0 (2023) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966)

Steals Per Game Kawhi Leonard 2.6 (2016) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kawhi Leonard 1.4 (2016) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.