Bill Walton vs. Zion Williamson Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Zion Williamson and Bill Walton, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Bill Walton played 10 years in the NBA, 5 more than Zion Williamson, who played 5. Bill Walton had the first of his seasons in 1974-75, while Zion Williamson had his rookie season in 2019-20. 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 achievements, 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 |
| Bill Walton | 10 | 4 | 1974-75 to 1986-87 |
| Zion Williamson | 5 | 0 | 2019-20 to 2024-25 |
Rookie Season |
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| Bill Walton | Zion Williamson | |
| Season | 1974-75 | 2019-20 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Honors & Awards | - |  All-Rookie First Team |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
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Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 35 | 32.9 | 12.8 | 2.6 | 10.0 | 12.6 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 2.7 | - | 3.3 | 5.1 | 9.9 | .513 | - | - | - | 2.7 | 3.9 | .686 |
| difference: | +11 | +5.1 | +9.7 | +0.1 | +6.4 | +6.3 | +2.7 | +0.1 | +2.3 | -1.5 | +3.7 | +5.1 | +.070 | +2.1 | +3.5 | +.046 | ||||
| Zion Williamson | 24 | 27.8 | 22.5 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 8.8 | 15.0 | .583 | 0.3 | 0.6 | .429 | 4.8 | 7.4 | .640 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Bill Walton nor Zion Williamson played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 2 |
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| Bill Walton | Zion Williamson | |
| Season | 1975-76 | 2020-21 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Honors & Awards | - | All-Star Game |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 51 | 33.1 | 16.1 | 2.6 | 10.8 | 13.4 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | - | 2.8 | 6.8 | 14.4 | .471 | - | - | - | 2.6 | 4.5 | .583 |
| difference: | +10 | +0.1 | +10.9 | +0.1 | +6.3 | +6.2 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +1.0 | -0.6 | +3.6 | +2.6 | +.140 | +3.4 | +4.2 | +.115 | ||||
| Zion Williamson | 61 | 33.2 | 27.0 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 10.4 | 17.0 | .611 | 0.2 | 0.6 | .294 | 6.0 | 8.7 | .698 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Bill Walton nor Zion Williamson played in the postseason in their season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Zion Williamson didn't play in 2021-22.
Season 3 |
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| Bill Walton | Zion Williamson | |
| Season | 1976-77 | 2022-23 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Honors & Awards | Finals MVP | - |
| All-NBA Second Team | - | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| Rebounds Leader | - | |
| Blocks Leader | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs |  NBA Champion | Did Not Play |
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 65 | 34.8 | 18.6 | 3.2 | 11.1 | 14.4 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 3.2 | - | 2.7 | 7.6 | 14.3 | .528 | - | - | - | 3.5 | 5.0 | .697 |
| difference: | +36 | +1.8 | +7.4 | +1.2 | +6.1 | +7.4 | +0.8 | +0.1 | +2.6 | -0.5 | +2.2 | +1.9 | +.080 | +2.6 | +3.6 | +.017 | ||||
| Zion Williamson | 29 | 33.0 | 26.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 9.8 | 16.2 | .608 | 0.2 | 0.7 | .368 | 6.1 | 8.6 | .714 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 19 | 39.7 | 18.2 | 2.9 | 12.2 | 15.2 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 3.4 | - | 4.2 | 8.1 | 15.9 | .507 | - | - | - | 2.1 | 3.0 | .684 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Season 4 |
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| Bill Walton | Zion Williamson | |
| Season | 1977-78 | 2023-24 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Honors & Awards | Season MVP | - |
| All-NBA First Team | - | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | - | |
| Playoffs | Trail Blazers Lost West Conf Semis | Did Not Play |
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 58 | 33.3 | 18.9 | 2.0 | 11.2 | 13.2 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 7.9 | 15.2 | .522 | - | - | - | 3.1 | 4.2 | .720 |
| difference: | +12 | +1.8 | +4.0 | +0.3 | +7.1 | +7.4 | +0.1 | +1.8 | -0.8 | -0.2 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +.048 | +1.9 | +2.9 | +.018 | ||||
| Zion Williamson | 70 | 31.5 | 22.9 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 15.6 | .570 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .333 | 5.0 | 7.1 | .702 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 2 | 24.5 | 13.5 | 2.5 | 8.5 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 9.0 | .611 | - | - | - | 2.5 | 3.5 | .714 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Note: Bill Walton didn't play in 1978-79.
Season 5 |
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| Bill Walton | Zion Williamson | |
| Season | 1979-80 | 2024-25 |
| Team | San Diego Clippers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Bill Walton | 14 | 24.1 | 13.9 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 11.5 | .503 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 2.3 | 3.9 | .593 |
| difference: | +16 | +4.5 | +10.7 | +0.5 | +2.3 | +1.8 | +2.9 | +0.6 | +1.8 | -0.4 | -0.1 | +3.8 | +5.4 | +.064 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +3.0 | +4.1 | +.063 | |
| Zion Williamson | 30 | 28.6 | 24.6 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 9.6 | 16.9 | .567 | 0.1 | 0.4 | .231 | 5.3 | 8.0 | .656 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Bill Walton nor Zion Williamson played in the postseason in their season 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* Bill Walton played 5 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 6 to 10, from 1983 to 1987—Bill Walton played in two Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those 5 extra years over Zion Williamson, Bill Walton got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 Sixth Man of the Year |