Tom Sanders vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Tom Sanders 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

Tom Sanders

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Tom Sanders 8 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Tom Sanders 13 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Tom Sanders 11 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Tom Sanders 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Tom Sanders 0 * Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Tom Sanders 1 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Tom Sanders 9.6 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Tom Sanders 6.3 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Tom Sanders 1.1 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Tom Sanders 8,766 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Tom Sanders 5,798 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Tom Sanders 1,026 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Tom Sanders 916 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Tom Sanders .428 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Tom Sanders .767 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Tom Sanders 8.8 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Tom Sanders 5.8 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Tom Sanders 1.0 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Tom Sanders 1,142 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Tom Sanders 760 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Tom Sanders 127 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Tom Sanders 130 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Tom Sanders .436 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Tom Sanders .716 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Tom Sanders - n/a ** 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. ** 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.