Bob Cousy vs. Shaquille O'Neal Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Shaquille O'Neal and Bob Cousy, 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 / Stats Rankings

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.

Bob Cousy played 14 years in the NBA, 5 less than Shaquille O'Neal, who played 19. Bob Cousy had the first of his seasons in 1950-51, while Shaquille O'Neal had his rookie season in 1992-93. 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
Bob Cousy 14 13 1950-51 to 1969-70
Shaquille O'Neal 19 17 1992-93 to 2010-11

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1950-511992-93
Team Boston CelticsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 69 - 15.6 - - 6.9 4.9 - - - 2.7 5.8 16.5 .352 - - - 4.0 5.3 .756
difference:+12+7.8+7.0+3.0-1.3+3.2+0.4+.210+1.3+3.6+.164
Shaquille O'Neal 81 37.9 23.4 4.2 9.6 13.9 1.9 0.7 3.5 3.8 4.0 9.0 16.1 .562 0.0 0.0 - 5.3 8.9 .592
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 2 - 14.0 - - 7.5 6.0 - - - 4.0 4.5 21.0 .214 - - - 5.0 6.0 .833
Shaquille O'Neal DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1951-521993-94
Team Boston CelticsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 66 40.6 21.7 - - 6.4 6.7 - - - 2.9 7.8 21.0 .369 - - - 6.2 7.7 .808
difference:+15+0.8+7.6+6.8+4.3-0.6+4.0+1.4+.230+0.4+2.8+.254
Shaquille O'Neal 81 39.8 29.3 4.7 8.5 13.2 2.4 0.9 2.9 2.7 3.5 11.8 19.6 .599 0.0 0.0 - 5.8 10.5 .554
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 3 46.0 31.0 - - 4.0 6.3 - - - 4.3 8.7 21.7 .400 - - - 13.7 14.7 .932
difference:+4.0+10.3+9.3+4.0+1.0+6.7+.111+8.4+3.4+.461
Shaquille O'Neal 3 42.0 20.7 5.7 7.7 13.3 2.3 0.7 3.0 3.3 4.3 7.7 15.0 .511 0.0 0.0 - 5.3 11.3 .471

Season 3

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1952-531994-95
Team Boston CelticsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsMagic Lost NBA Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 71 41.5 19.8 - - 6.3 7.7 - - - 3.2 6.5 18.6 .352 - - - 6.7 8.3 .816
difference:+8+4.5+9.5+5.1+5.0-0.1+5.3+1.6+.231+0.9+2.5+.283
Shaquille O'Neal 79 37.0 29.3 4.2 7.3 11.4 2.7 0.9 2.4 2.6 3.3 11.8 20.2 .583 0.0 0.1 .000 5.8 10.8 .533
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 6 45.0 25.5 - - 4.2 6.2 - - - 3.5 7.7 20.0 .383 - - - 10.2 12.2 .836
difference:+15+6.7+0.2+7.7+2.9-0.5+1.6+3.9+.194+3.1+0.2+.265
Shaquille O'Neal 21 38.3 25.7 4.5 7.4 11.9 3.3 0.9 1.9 3.5 4.0 9.3 16.1 .577 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 12.4 .571

Season 4

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1953-541995-96
Team Boston CelticsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsMagic Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 72 39.7 19.2 - - 5.5 7.2 - - - 2.8 6.8 17.5 .385 - - - 5.7 7.3 .787
difference:+18+3.7+7.4+5.5+4.3-0.8+4.2+1.6+.188+1.1+2.2+.300
Shaquille O'Neal 54 36.0 26.6 3.4 7.7 11.0 2.9 0.6 2.1 2.9 3.6 11.0 19.1 .573 0.0 0.0 - 4.6 9.5 .487
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 6 43.3 21.0 - - 5.3 6.3 - - - 3.3 5.5 19.3 .284 - - - 10.0 12.5 .800
difference:+6+5.0+4.8+4.7+1.7+5.4+1.3+.322+6.0+2.3+.407
Shaquille O'Neal 12 38.3 25.8 4.1 5.9 10.0 4.6 0.8 1.3 3.7 3.3 10.9 18.0 .606 0.0 0.0 - 4.0 10.2 .393

Season 5

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1954-551996-97
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 71 38.7 21.2 - - 6.0 7.8 - - - 2.3 7.4 18.5 .397 - - - 6.5 8.0 .807
difference:+20+0.6+5.0+6.5+4.7-1.2+3.4+0.9+.160+2.0+1.4+.323
Shaquille O'Neal 51 38.1 26.2 3.8 8.7 12.5 3.1 0.9 2.9 2.9 3.5 10.8 19.4 .557 0.0 0.1 .000 4.5 9.4 .484
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 7 42.7 21.7 - - 6.1 9.3 - - - 3.7 7.6 19.9 .381 - - - 6.6 6.9 .958
difference:+2+6.5+5.2+4.5+6.1-0.4+2.3+0.7+.133+0.5+4.8+.348
Shaquille O'Neal 9 36.2 26.9 4.2 6.3 10.6 3.2 0.6 1.9 2.4 4.1 9.9 19.2 .514 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 11.7 .610

Season 6

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1955-561997-98
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 72 38.4 18.8 - - 6.8 8.9 - - - 2.9 6.1 17.0 .360 - - - 6.6 7.8 .844
difference:+12+2.1+9.5+4.6+6.5-0.3+5.1+2.1+.224+0.6+3.6+.317
Shaquille O'Neal 60 36.3 28.3 3.5 7.9 11.4 2.4 0.7 2.4 2.9 3.2 11.2 19.1 .584 0.0 0.0 - 6.0 11.4 .527
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 3 41.3 26.3 - - 8.0 8.7 - - - 1.3 9.3 18.7 .500 - - - 7.7 8.3 .920
difference:+10+2.8+4.2+2.2+5.8-1.9+2.9+1.1+.112+1.5+3.9+.417
Shaquille O'Neal 13 38.5 30.5 3.7 6.5 10.2 2.9 0.5 2.6 3.3 3.2 12.2 19.8 .612 0.0 0.0 - 6.2 12.2 .503

Season 7

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1956-571998-99
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 64 36.9 20.6 - - 4.8 7.5 - - - 2.1 7.5 19.8 .378 - - - 5.7 6.9 .821
difference:+15+2.1+5.7+5.9+5.2-1.1+2.9+1.7+.198+0.2+3.3+.281
Shaquille O'Neal 49 34.8 26.3 3.8 6.9 10.7 2.3 0.7 1.7 2.5 3.2 10.4 18.1 .576 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 10.2 .540
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 10 44.0 20.2 - - 6.1 9.3 - - - 2.7 6.7 20.7 .324 - - - 6.8 9.1 .747
difference:+2+4.6+6.4+5.5+7.0-0.9+3.2+1.3+.186+0.1+5.7+.281
Shaquille O'Neal 8 39.4 26.6 5.5 6.1 11.6 2.3 0.9 2.9 2.3 3.6 9.9 19.4 .510 0.0 0.0 - 6.9 14.8 .466

Season 8

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1957-581999-00
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 65 34.2 18.0 - - 5.0 7.1 - - - 2.1 6.8 19.4 .353 - - - 4.3 5.0 .850
difference:+14+5.8+11.7+8.6+3.3-1.1+5.3+1.7+.221+1.2+5.4+.326
Shaquille O'Neal 79 40.0 29.7 4.3 9.4 13.6 3.8 0.5 3.0 2.8 3.2 12.1 21.1 .574 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 10.4 .524
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 11 41.5 18.0 - - 6.5 7.5 - - - 1.8 6.1 17.8 .342 - - - 5.8 6.8 .853
difference:+12+2.0+12.7+8.9+4.4-1.1+6.3+4.2+.224+0.1+6.1+.397
Shaquille O'Neal 23 43.5 30.7 5.2 10.3 15.4 3.1 0.6 2.4 2.4 2.9 12.4 22.0 .566 0.0 0.0 - 5.9 12.9 .456

Season 9

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1958-592000-01
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 65 37.0 20.0 - - 5.5 8.6 - - - 2.1 7.4 19.4 .384 - - - 5.1 5.9 .855
difference:+9+2.5+8.7+7.2+4.9-1.4+3.6+0.2+.188+1.6+7.2+.342
Shaquille O'Neal 74 39.5 28.7 3.9 8.8 12.7 3.7 0.6 2.8 2.9 3.5 11.0 19.2 .572 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 13.1 .513
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 11 41.8 19.5 - - 6.9 10.8 - - - 2.5 6.5 20.1 .326 - - - 6.4 8.5 .745
difference:+5+0.5+10.9+8.5+7.6-0.9+5.4+1.4+.229+0.2+4.0+.220
Shaquille O'Neal 16 42.3 30.4 5.7 9.8 15.4 3.2 0.4 2.4 3.6 3.4 11.9 21.5 .555 0.0 0.0 - 6.6 12.5 .525

Season 10

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1959-602001-02
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 75 34.5 19.4 - - 4.7 9.5 - - - 1.9 7.6 19.7 .384 - - - 4.3 5.4 .792
difference:+8+1.6+7.8+6.0+6.5-1.1+3.0+1.4+.195+1.6+5.3+.237
Shaquille O'Neal 67 36.1 27.2 3.5 7.2 10.7 3.0 0.6 2.0 2.6 3.0 10.6 18.3 .579 0.0 0.0 - 5.9 10.7 .555
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 13 36.0 15.3 - - 3.7 8.9 - - - 2.1 6.2 20.2 .305 - - - 3.0 3.9 .765
difference:+6+4.8+13.2+8.9+6.1-1.2+4.5+.224+4.1+7.0+.116
Shaquille O'Neal 19 40.8 28.5 3.5 9.1 12.6 2.8 0.5 2.5 3.3 3.3 10.7 20.2 .529 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 10.9 .649

Season 11

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1960-612002-03
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 76 32.5 18.1 - - 4.4 7.7 - - - 2.6 6.8 18.2 .371 - - - 4.6 5.9 .779
difference:+9+5.3+9.4+6.7+4.6-0.8+3.6+0.1+.203+2.1+4.9+.157
Shaquille O'Neal 67 37.8 27.5 3.9 7.2 11.1 3.1 0.6 2.4 2.9 3.4 10.4 18.1 .574 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 10.8 .622
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 10 33.7 16.7 - - 4.3 9.1 - - - 3.3 5.0 14.7 .340 - - - 6.7 8.8 .761
difference:+2+6.4+10.3+10.5+5.4-0.5+5.1+4.1+.195+0.1+2.2+.140
Shaquille O'Neal 12 40.1 27.0 5.3 9.6 14.8 3.7 0.6 2.8 2.9 2.8 10.1 18.8 .535 0.0 0.0 - 6.8 11.0 .621

Season 12

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1961-622003-04
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 75 28.2 15.7 - - 3.5 7.8 - - - 1.8 6.2 15.7 .391 - - - 3.3 4.4 .754
difference:+8+8.6+5.8+8.0+4.9-1.6+2.1+1.6+.193+1.6+5.7+.264
Shaquille O'Neal 67 36.8 21.5 3.7 7.8 11.5 2.9 0.5 2.5 2.9 3.4 8.3 14.1 .584 0.0 0.0 - 4.9 10.1 .490
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 14 33.9 16.0 - - 4.6 8.8 - - - 3.1 6.1 17.2 .357 - - - 3.7 5.4 .684
difference:+8+8.0+5.5+8.6+6.3-1.0+2.2+3.2+.236+1.3+6.1+.255
Shaquille O'Neal 22 41.9 21.5 4.1 9.1 13.2 2.5 0.3 2.8 2.5 4.1 8.3 14.0 .593 0.0 0.0 - 5.0 11.5 .429

Season 13

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1962-632004-05
Team Boston CelticsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionHeat Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 76 26.0 13.2 - - 2.5 6.8 - - - 2.3 5.2 13.0 .397 - - - 2.9 3.9 .735
difference:+3+8.1+9.7+7.9+4.1-1.3+3.8+2.0+.204+1.9+6.6+.274
Shaquille O'Neal 73 34.1 22.9 3.5 6.9 10.4 2.7 0.5 2.3 2.8 3.6 9.0 15.0 .601 0.0 0.0 - 4.8 10.5 .461
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 13 30.2 14.1 - - 2.5 8.9 - - - 3.4 5.5 15.7 .353 - - - 3.0 3.6 .830
difference:+2.8+5.3+5.3+7.0-0.6+2.3+1.8+.205+0.8+4.6+.358
Shaquille O'Neal 13 33.0 19.4 1.5 6.4 7.8 1.9 0.4 1.5 3.2 4.0 7.8 13.9 .558 0.0 0.0 - 3.8 8.2 .472

Note: Bob Cousy didn't play in 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69.

Season 14

Bob Cousy Shaquille O'Neal
Season 1969-702005-06
Team Cincinnati RoyalsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 7 4.9 0.7 - - 0.7 1.4 - - - 1.6 0.1 0.4 .333 - - - 0.4 0.4 1.000
difference:+52+25.7+19.3+8.5+0.5-2.3+8.0+13.2+.267+3.3+7.6+.531
Shaquille O'Neal 59 30.6 20.0 2.9 6.3 9.2 1.9 0.4 1.8 2.8 3.9 8.1 13.6 .600 0.0 0.0 - 3.7 8.0 .469
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy DNP------ --- ----------
Shaquille O'Neal 23 33.0 18.4 3.3 6.5 9.8 1.7 0.5 1.5 3.7 3.7 7.7 12.7 .612 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 7.9 .374

Additional Years

* Shaquille O'Neal played 5 seasons more than Bob Cousy in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 15 to 19, from 2007 to 2011—Shaquille O'Neal played in 4 Playoffs.

In those 5 extra years over Bob Cousy, Shaquille O'Neal got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 2 All-Star Game
Achievement 1 All-Star Game MVP