Bob Pettit vs. Nick Van Exel Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nick Van Exel and Bob Pettit, 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 Pettit played 11 years in the NBA, 2 less than Nick Van Exel, who played 13. Bob Pettit had the first of his seasons in 1954-55, while Nick Van Exel had his rookie season in 1993-94. 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 Pettit 11 9 1954-55 to 1964-65
Nick Van Exel 13 7 1993-94 to 2005-06

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1954-551993-94
Team Milwaukee HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second 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 %
Bob Pettit 72 36.9 20.4 - - 13.8 3.2 - - - 3.6 7.2 17.8 .407 - - - 5.9 7.9 .751
Nick Van Exel 81 33.3 13.6 0.6 2.4 2.9 5.8 1.0 0.1 1.8 1.9 5.1 13.0 .394 1.5 4.5 .338 1.9 2.4 .781
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1955-561994-95
Team St. Louis HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsLakers 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 Pettit 72 38.8 25.7 - - 16.2 2.6 - - - 2.8 9.0 20.9 .429 - - - 7.7 10.5 .736
Nick Van Exel 80 36.8 16.9 0.3 2.5 2.8 8.3 1.2 0.1 2.8 2.0 5.8 13.8 .420 2.3 6.4 .358 2.9 3.8 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 8 34.3 19.1 - - 10.5 2.3 - - - 2.5 5.9 16.0 .367 - - - 7.4 8.8 .843
Nick Van Exel 10 46.4 20.0 0.9 2.9 3.8 7.3 2.1 0.3 2.2 3.3 6.7 16.2 .414 2.1 6.6 .318 4.5 5.9 .763

Season 3

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1956-571995-96
Team St. Louis HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsLakers 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 %
Bob Pettit 71 35.1 24.7 - - 14.6 1.9 - - - 2.5 8.6 20.8 .415 - - - 7.5 9.6 .773
Nick Van Exel 74 34.0 14.9 0.4 2.1 2.4 6.9 0.9 0.1 2.1 1.6 5.4 12.8 .417 1.9 5.4 .357 2.2 2.8 .799
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 10 43.0 29.8 - - 16.8 2.5 - - - 3.3 9.8 23.7 .414 - - - 10.2 13.3 .767
Nick Van Exel 4 34.3 11.8 1.0 3.0 4.0 6.8 0.5 0.0 2.8 2.5 4.0 13.5 .296 1.3 4.0 .313 2.5 3.3 .769

Season 4

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1957-581996-97
Team St. Louis HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers 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 Pettit 70 36.1 24.6 - - 17.4 2.2 - - - 3.2 8.3 20.3 .410 - - - 8.0 10.6 .749
Nick Van Exel 79 37.2 15.3 0.6 2.3 2.9 8.5 0.9 0.1 2.7 1.4 5.5 13.6 .402 2.2 5.9 .378 2.1 2.5 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 11 39.1 24.2 - - 16.5 1.8 - - - 2.8 8.2 20.9 .391 - - - 7.8 10.7 .729
Nick Van Exel 9 39.2 14.4 0.7 2.8 3.4 6.4 1.1 0.0 2.0 2.1 5.0 13.2 .378 1.3 4.9 .273 3.1 3.8 .824

Season 5

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1958-591997-98
Team St. Louis HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 72 39.9 29.2 - - 16.4 3.1 - - - 2.8 10.0 22.8 .438 - - - 9.3 12.2 .759
Nick Van Exel 64 32.1 13.8 0.5 2.5 3.0 6.9 1.0 0.1 1.6 1.9 4.9 11.6 .419 1.9 4.9 .389 2.1 2.7 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 6 42.8 27.8 - - 12.5 2.3 - - - 3.3 9.7 22.8 .423 - - - 8.5 10.8 .785
Nick Van Exel 13 28.3 11.6 0.7 1.8 2.5 4.2 0.6 0.1 1.7 2.3 3.8 11.6 .331 1.7 5.4 .314 2.2 3.1 .725

Season 6

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1959-601998-99
Team St. Louis HawksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 72 40.2 26.1 - - 17.0 3.6 - - - 2.8 9.3 21.2 .438 - - - 7.6 10.0 .753
Nick Van Exel 50 36.0 16.5 0.3 2.0 2.3 7.4 0.8 0.1 2.4 1.8 6.1 15.4 .398 1.4 4.7 .308 2.8 3.5 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 14 41.1 26.1 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 3.1 9.2 20.9 .442 - - - 7.6 10.1 .754
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1960-611999-00
Team St. Louis HawksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 76 39.8 27.9 - - 20.3 3.4 - - - 2.9 10.1 22.6 .447 - - - 7.7 10.6 .724
Nick Van Exel 79 37.3 16.1 0.4 3.5 3.9 9.0 0.9 0.1 2.8 1.9 6.0 15.4 .390 1.7 5.1 .332 2.5 3.0 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 12 43.8 28.6 - - 17.6 3.2 - - - 3.5 9.8 23.7 .412 - - - 9.1 12.0 .757
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1961-622000-01
Team St. Louis HawksDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
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 Pettit 78 42.1 31.1 - - 18.7 3.7 - - - 3.8 11.1 24.7 .450 - - - 8.9 11.6 .771
Nick Van Exel 71 37.9 17.7 0.6 2.8 3.4 8.5 0.9 0.3 2.3 1.5 6.5 15.7 .414 1.9 5.0 .377 2.9 3.5 .819
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1962-632001-02
Team St. Louis HawksDenver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsMavericks 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 Pettit 79 39.1 28.4 - - 15.1 3.1 - - - 3.6 9.8 22.1 .446 - - - 8.7 11.2 .774
Nick Van Exel 72 34.7 18.4 0.4 3.1 3.5 6.6 0.6 0.2 2.2 1.4 7.0 17.0 .409 1.7 4.9 .340 2.8 3.5 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 11 42.1 31.8 - - 15.1 3.0 - - - 3.1 10.8 23.5 .459 - - - 10.2 13.1 .778
Nick Van Exel 8 32.8 11.1 0.9 2.1 3.0 3.9 1.0 0.0 1.5 3.3 4.6 12.6 .366 0.9 4.3 .206 1.0 1.5 .667

Season 10

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1963-642002-03
Team St. Louis HawksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsMavericks Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 80 41.2 27.4 - - 15.3 3.2 - - - 3.8 9.9 21.4 .463 - - - 7.6 9.6 .789
Nick Van Exel 73 27.8 12.5 0.5 2.4 2.8 4.3 0.6 0.1 1.7 1.2 4.7 11.4 .412 1.6 4.3 .378 1.5 2.0 .764
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 12 41.2 21.0 - - 14.5 2.8 - - - 3.7 7.8 18.8 .412 - - - 5.5 6.6 .835
Nick Van Exel 20 33.7 19.5 0.9 2.5 3.4 4.1 0.6 0.0 2.0 2.4 7.5 16.3 .460 2.2 5.6 .393 2.3 3.2 .703

Season 11

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season 1964-652003-04
Team St. Louis HawksGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 50 35.1 22.5 - - 12.4 2.6 - - - 3.3 7.9 18.5 .429 - - - 6.6 8.1 .820
Nick Van Exel 39 32.2 12.6 0.4 2.3 2.7 5.3 0.5 0.1 2.0 1.5 4.8 12.3 .390 1.2 3.8 .307 1.8 2.5 .707
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 4 23.8 11.5 - - 6.0 2.0 - - - 2.5 3.8 10.3 .366 - - - 4.0 5.0 .800
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season -2004-05
Team -Portland Trail Blazers
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 %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 53 30.5 11.1 0.4 2.7 3.0 4.3 0.8 0.0 1.7 1.3 4.0 10.6 .381 1.9 4.8 .389 1.1 1.4 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Bob Pettit Nick Van Exel
Season -2005-06
Team -San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Spurs 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 Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 65 15.2 5.5 0.1 1.3 1.4 1.9 0.2 0.0 0.9 0.9 2.1 5.3 .397 0.8 2.4 .357 0.4 0.6 .683
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 12 11.1 2.2 0.1 0.9 1.0 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.2 0.6 2.7 .219 0.3 0.8 .300 0.8 0.8 1.000