Bob Lanier vs. Odie Spears Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Odie Spears and Bob Lanier, 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

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 Lanier played 14 years in the NBA, 6 more than Odie Spears, who played 8. Bob Lanier had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Odie Spears had his rookie season in 1948-49. 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
Bob Lanier 14 9 1970-71 to 1983-84
Odie Spears 8 7 1948-49 to 1956-57

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1970-711948-49
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Stags
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayStags Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 82 24.6 15.6 - - 8.1 1.8 - - - 3.3 6.1 13.5 .455 - - - 3.3 4.6 .726
Odie Spears 57 - 9.3 - - - 1.7 - - - 3.5 3.5 11.1 .317 - - - 2.3 3.5 .665
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Odie Spears 2 - 9.0 - - - 1.0 - - - 4.5 3.5 13.0 .269 - - - 2.0 3.5 .571

Season 2
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1971-721949-50
Team Detroit PistonsChicago Stags
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayStags Lost Cent Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 80 38.7 25.7 - - 14.2 3.1 - - - 3.7 10.4 21.1 .493 - - - 4.9 6.3 .768
Odie Spears 68 - 10.5 - - - 2.3 - - - 3.7 4.1 11.4 .357 - - - 2.3 3.4 .687
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Odie Spears 2 - 11.5 - - - 0.5 - - - 5.5 4.5 11.0 .409 - - - 2.5 5.0 .500

Note: Odie Spears didn't play in 1950-51.

Season 3
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1972-731951-52
Team Detroit PistonsRochester Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayRoyals Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 81 38.9 23.8 - - 14.9 3.2 - - - 3.4 10.0 20.4 .490 - - - 3.8 4.9 .773
Odie Spears 66 25.3 8.6 - - 4.6 2.5 - - - 3.4 3.4 8.6 .395 - - - 1.8 2.3 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Odie Spears 6 20.5 4.8 - - 3.5 1.5 - - - 3.0 1.7 5.5 .303 - - - 1.5 2.7 .563

Season 4
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1973-741952-53
Team Detroit PistonsRochester Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisRoyals Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 81 37.6 22.5 3.3 9.9 13.3 4.2 1.4 3.0 - 3.4 9.2 18.3 .504 - - - 4.0 5.0 .797
Odie Spears 62 22.8 9.6 - - 4.0 1.8 - - - 3.7 3.2 8.0 .401 - - - 3.2 3.9 .819
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 43.3 26.3 3.7 11.6 15.3 3.0 0.6 2.0 - 4.0 11.0 21.7 .507 - - - 4.3 5.4 .789
Odie Spears 3 20.7 6.7 - - 4.0 0.0 - - - 4.0 2.7 6.3 .421 - - - 1.3 1.7 .800

Season 5
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1974-751953-54
Team Detroit PistonsRochester Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdRoyals Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 76 39.3 24.0 3.0 9.1 12.0 4.6 1.0 2.3 - 3.1 9.6 18.9 .510 - - - 4.8 5.9 .802
Odie Spears 72 22.7 7.7 - - 4.3 1.5 - - - 2.9 2.6 7.0 .364 - - - 2.5 3.3 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 3 42.7 20.3 1.7 9.0 10.7 6.3 1.3 4.0 - 3.3 8.7 17.0 .510 - - - 3.0 4.0 .750
Odie Spears 6 20.2 4.7 - - 2.2 1.3 - - - 2.8 1.3 4.7 .286 - - - 2.0 2.3 .857

Season 6
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1975-761954-55
Team Detroit PistonsRochester Royals
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisRoyals Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 64 36.9 21.3 3.4 8.3 11.7 3.4 1.2 1.3 - 3.2 8.5 15.9 .532 - - - 4.4 5.8 .768
Odie Spears 71 26.6 9.5 - - 4.2 2.1 - - - 3.5 3.2 8.2 .386 - - - 3.1 3.8 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 9 39.9 26.1 4.3 8.3 12.7 3.3 0.9 2.3 - 3.8 10.6 19.1 .552 - - - 5.0 5.6 .900
Odie Spears 3 30.0 11.7 - - 4.7 3.3 - - - 4.7 4.0 15.0 .267 - - - 3.7 5.3 .688

Season 7
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1976-771955-56
Team Detroit PistonsFort Wayne Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdPistons Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 64 38.2 25.3 3.1 8.5 11.6 3.3 1.1 2.0 - 2.7 10.6 19.8 .534 - - - 4.1 5.0 .818
Odie Spears 72 19.1 6.8 - - 3.2 1.7 - - - 2.7 2.3 6.5 .355 - - - 2.2 2.8 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 3 39.3 28.0 4.3 12.3 16.7 2.0 1.0 2.3 - 3.3 11.3 18.0 .630 - - - 5.3 6.3 .842
Odie Spears 10 17.7 5.3 - - 2.9 1.4 - - - 3.3 2.0 6.2 .323 - - - 1.3 2.3 .565

Season 8
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1977-781956-57
Team Detroit PistonsFort Wayne Pistons, St. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards 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 %
Bob Lanier 63 36.7 24.5 3.1 8.2 11.3 3.4 1.3 1.5 3.6 2.9 9.9 18.4 .537 - - - 4.7 6.1 .772
Odie Spears 11 10.7 3.9 - - 1.4 0.6 - - - 2.2 1.1 3.5 .316 - - - 1.7 2.0 .864
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 9
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1978-79-
Team Detroit Pistons-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Bob Lanier 53 34.6 23.6 3.1 6.2 9.3 2.6 0.9 1.4 3.3 3.4 9.2 17.9 .515 - - - 5.2 6.9 .749
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 10
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1979-80-
Team Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks 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 %
Bob Lanier 63 33.8 19.2 2.4 6.3 8.8 2.9 1.2 1.4 2.6 3.2 7.4 13.8 .537 0.0 0.1 .167 4.4 5.6 .782
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 36.6 19.3 2.4 6.9 9.3 4.4 1.0 1.1 2.4 3.3 7.4 14.4 .515 0.0 0.0 - 4.4 6.0 .738
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 11
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1980-81-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks 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 %
Bob Lanier 67 26.2 14.3 1.9 4.3 6.2 2.7 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.7 5.6 10.7 .525 0.0 0.0 1.000 3.1 4.1 .751
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 33.7 17.6 1.7 5.7 7.4 4.0 1.7 1.1 2.1 2.6 7.1 12.1 .588 0.0 0.0 - 3.3 4.6 .719
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 12
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1981-82-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks 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 %
Bob Lanier 74 26.8 13.5 1.2 4.0 5.2 3.0 1.0 0.8 2.2 2.9 5.5 9.9 .558 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.3 .752
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 6 35.3 16.0 3.0 4.5 7.5 3.7 1.3 0.8 2.3 3.5 6.8 13.3 .513 0.0 0.2 .000 2.3 4.2 .560
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 13
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1982-83-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 39 25.1 10.7 1.5 3.6 5.1 2.7 0.9 0.6 2.1 3.2 4.2 8.5 .491 0.0 0.0 .000 2.3 3.4 .684
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 9 27.8 13.7 1.9 5.1 7.0 2.6 0.6 1.6 2.3 3.6 5.7 9.9 .573 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.9 .600
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------

Season 14
Bob Lanier Odie Spears
Season 1983-84-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 72 27.9 13.6 2.0 4.4 6.3 2.6 0.8 0.7 2.3 3.2 5.4 9.5 .572 0.0 0.0 .000 2.7 3.8 .708
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 16 31.2 12.7 2.0 5.3 7.3 3.4 0.7 0.6 2.4 3.6 5.1 10.7 .480 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 2.8 .886
Odie Spears ------- --- ----------
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