Anthony Mason vs. Yao Ming Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Yao Ming and Anthony Mason, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Anthony Mason played 13 years in the NBA, 5 more than Yao Ming, who played 8. Anthony Mason had the first of his seasons in 1989-90, while Yao Ming had his rookie season in 2002-03. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Anthony Mason 13 10 1989-90 to 2002-03
Yao Ming 8 4 2002-03 to 2010-11

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1989-902002-03
Team New Jersey NetsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 21 5.1 1.8 0.5 1.1 1.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.5 1.0 0.7 1.9 .350 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 0.7 .600
Yao Ming 82 29.0 13.5 2.4 5.8 8.2 1.7 0.4 1.8 2.1 2.8 4.9 9.8 .498 0.0 0.0 .500 3.7 4.5 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason ------- --- ----------
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1990-912003-04
Team Denver NuggetsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 3 7.0 3.3 1.0 0.7 1.7 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.7 1.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.7 .750
Yao Ming 82 32.8 17.5 2.4 6.6 9.0 1.5 0.3 1.9 2.5 3.3 6.5 12.5 .522 0.0 0.0 .000 4.4 5.4 .809
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason ------- --- ----------
Yao Ming 5 37.6 15.0 2.2 5.2 7.4 1.8 0.4 1.4 2.6 4.0 6.2 13.6 .456 0.0 0.0 - 2.6 3.4 .765

Season 3

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1991-922004-05
Team New York KnicksHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 82 26.8 7.0 2.6 4.4 7.0 1.3 0.6 0.2 1.2 2.8 2.5 4.9 .509 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.2 .642
Yao Ming 80 30.6 18.3 2.6 5.8 8.4 0.8 0.4 2.0 2.5 3.7 6.7 12.2 .552 0.0 0.0 - 4.9 6.2 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 12 24.0 5.0 2.3 4.0 6.3 0.8 0.2 0.7 0.9 2.8 1.6 3.6 .442 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.3 .786
Yao Ming 7 31.9 21.4 3.3 4.4 7.7 0.7 0.3 2.7 2.7 4.4 7.9 12.0 .655 0.0 0.0 - 5.7 7.9 .727

Season 4

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1992-932005-06
Team New York KnicksHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 81 30.6 10.3 2.9 5.0 7.9 2.1 0.5 0.2 1.7 3.0 3.9 7.8 .502 0.0 0.0 - 2.5 3.6 .682
Yao Ming 57 34.2 22.3 2.6 7.6 10.2 1.5 0.5 1.6 2.6 3.4 8.2 15.8 .519 0.0 0.0 .000 5.9 6.9 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 15 34.0 12.5 3.7 3.6 7.3 2.7 0.7 0.4 1.5 3.3 4.8 8.1 .590 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 4.5 .632
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1993-942006-07
Team New York KnicksHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA FinalsRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 73 26.1 7.2 2.2 3.7 5.8 2.1 0.4 0.1 1.5 2.6 2.8 5.9 .476 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 2.2 .720
Yao Ming 48 33.8 25.0 2.1 7.3 9.4 2.0 0.4 2.0 3.5 3.3 8.8 17.1 .516 0.0 0.0 .000 7.4 8.6 .862
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 25 26.4 7.6 2.1 3.7 5.8 1.8 0.6 0.2 1.4 2.6 2.7 5.5 .489 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.1 .714
Yao Ming 7 37.1 25.1 3.3 7.0 10.3 0.9 0.1 0.7 4.7 3.9 7.9 17.9 .440 0.0 0.0 - 9.4 10.7 .880

Season 6

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1994-952007-08
Team New York KnicksHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 77 32.4 9.9 2.4 6.1 8.4 3.1 0.9 0.3 1.6 3.3 3.7 6.6 .566 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.9 .641
Yao Ming 55 37.2 22.0 3.1 7.7 10.8 2.3 0.5 2.0 3.3 3.1 7.9 15.5 .507 0.0 0.0 .000 6.3 7.4 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 11 32.0 9.5 2.1 4.1 6.2 2.2 0.5 0.5 2.4 2.5 2.8 4.6 .608 0.0 0.1 .000 3.9 6.3 .623
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1995-962008-09
Team New York KnicksHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 82 42.2 14.6 2.7 6.6 9.3 4.4 0.8 0.4 2.6 3.0 5.5 9.7 .563 0.0 0.0 - 3.6 5.0 .720
Yao Ming 77 33.6 19.7 2.6 7.2 9.9 1.8 0.4 1.9 3.0 3.3 7.4 13.4 .548 0.0 0.0 1.000 4.9 5.7 .866
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 8 43.8 12.6 2.1 5.6 7.8 3.3 0.5 0.1 2.5 2.5 5.1 9.8 .526 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.5 .679
Yao Ming 9 35.9 17.1 2.1 8.8 10.9 1.0 0.4 1.2 1.9 3.0 6.0 11.0 .545 0.0 0.0 - 5.1 5.7 .902

Note: Yao Ming didn't play in 2009-10.

Season 8

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1996-972010-11
Team Charlotte HornetsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hornets Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 73 43.1 16.2 2.5 8.8 11.4 5.7 1.0 0.5 2.3 2.8 5.9 11.3 .525 0.0 0.0 .333 4.4 5.9 .745
Yao Ming 5 18.2 10.2 1.4 4.0 5.4 0.8 0.0 1.6 1.4 2.6 3.6 7.4 .486 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.2 .938
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 3 44.0 13.0 2.7 9.3 12.0 3.0 0.3 0.3 3.0 2.0 5.3 12.7 .421 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 4.3 .538
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1997-98-
Team Charlotte Hornets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hornets Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 81 38.9 12.8 2.2 8.0 10.2 4.2 0.8 0.2 1.8 2.2 4.8 9.4 .509 0.0 0.0 .000 3.2 5.0 .649
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 9 40.8 15.4 1.9 6.0 7.9 3.4 0.9 0.0 2.4 1.9 6.3 11.0 .576 0.0 0.1 .000 2.8 4.7 .595
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Note: Anthony Mason didn't play in 1998-99.

Season 10

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 1999-00-
Team Charlotte Hornets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hornets Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 82 38.2 11.6 1.8 6.8 8.5 4.5 0.9 0.4 2.0 2.7 3.9 8.1 .480 0.0 0.0 .000 3.8 5.1 .746
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 4 44.8 12.5 4.0 5.8 9.8 5.5 1.0 0.0 3.3 3.3 4.5 9.5 .474 0.0 0.3 .000 3.5 5.0 .700
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 2000-01-
Team Miami Heat-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 80 40.7 16.1 2.1 7.5 9.6 3.1 1.0 0.3 2.2 2.9 5.8 11.9 .482 0.0 0.0 - 4.6 5.9 .781
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 3 33.0 5.3 0.3 2.7 3.0 1.3 0.3 0.0 2.3 2.0 1.7 4.3 .385 0.0 0.3 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 2001-02-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 82 38.3 9.6 1.5 6.4 7.9 4.2 0.7 0.3 1.6 2.3 3.9 7.6 .505 0.0 0.0 1.000 1.9 2.7 .697
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason ------- --- ----------
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Anthony Mason Yao Ming
Season 2002-03-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 65 32.6 7.2 1.4 5.0 6.4 3.2 0.5 0.2 1.2 2.3 2.9 6.0 .486 0.0 0.0 .000 1.3 1.8 .718
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Anthony Mason 6 26.2 3.8 0.7 2.7 3.3 0.2 0.5 0.2 1.3 2.8 1.2 2.8 .412 0.0 0.0 - 1.5 2.2 .692
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------