Charles Barkley vs. Isiah Thomas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Isiah Thomas and Charles Barkley, 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.

Charles Barkley played 16 years in the NBA, 3 more than Isiah Thomas, who played 13. Charles Barkley had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, while Isiah Thomas had his rookie season in 1981-82. 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
Charles Barkley 16 13 1984-85 to 1999-00
Isiah Thomas 13 9 1981-82 to 1993-94

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16

Rookie Season

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1984-851981-82
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers 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 %
Charles Barkley 82 28.6 14.0 3.2 5.3 8.6 1.9 1.2 1.0 2.5 3.7 5.2 9.5 .545 0.0 0.1 .167 3.6 4.9 .733
Isiah Thomas 72 33.8 17.0 0.8 2.1 2.9 7.8 2.1 0.2 4.2 3.5 6.3 14.8 .424 0.2 0.8 .288 4.2 6.0 .704
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 13 31.4 14.9 4.0 7.1 11.1 2.0 1.8 1.2 2.7 3.8 5.8 10.7 .540 0.3 0.5 .667 3.1 4.8 .635
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1985-861982-83
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers 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 %
Charles Barkley 80 36.9 20.0 4.4 8.4 12.8 3.9 2.2 1.6 4.4 4.2 7.4 13.0 .572 0.2 0.9 .227 5.0 7.2 .685
Isiah Thomas 81 38.2 22.9 1.3 2.8 4.0 7.8 2.5 0.4 4.0 3.9 9.0 19.0 .472 0.4 1.5 .288 4.5 6.4 .710
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 12 41.4 25.0 5.0 10.8 15.8 5.6 2.3 1.3 5.4 4.3 8.7 15.0 .578 0.1 1.3 .067 7.6 10.9 .695
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1986-871983-84
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 68 40.3 23.0 5.7 8.9 14.6 4.9 1.8 1.5 4.7 3.7 8.2 13.8 .594 0.3 1.5 .202 6.3 8.3 .761
Isiah Thomas 82 36.7 21.3 1.3 2.7 4.0 11.1 2.5 0.4 3.7 4.0 8.2 17.7 .462 0.3 0.8 .338 4.7 6.5 .733
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 5 42.0 24.6 5.4 7.2 12.6 2.4 0.8 1.6 4.4 4.2 8.6 15.0 .573 0.2 1.6 .125 7.2 9.0 .800
Isiah Thomas 5 39.6 21.4 1.4 2.4 3.8 11.0 2.6 1.2 4.6 4.4 7.8 16.6 .470 0.4 1.2 .333 5.4 7.0 .771

Season 4

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1987-881984-85
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 80 39.6 28.3 4.8 7.1 11.9 3.2 1.3 1.3 3.8 3.5 9.4 16.0 .587 0.6 2.0 .280 8.9 11.9 .751
Isiah Thomas 81 38.1 21.2 1.4 3.0 4.5 13.9 2.3 0.3 3.7 3.6 8.0 17.4 .458 0.4 1.4 .257 4.9 6.1 .809
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley ------- --- ----------
Isiah Thomas 9 39.4 24.3 1.2 4.0 5.2 11.2 2.1 0.4 3.3 4.3 9.2 18.4 .500 0.7 1.7 .400 5.2 6.9 .758

Season 5

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1988-891985-86
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 79 39.1 25.8 5.1 7.4 12.5 4.1 1.6 0.8 3.2 3.3 8.9 15.3 .579 0.4 2.1 .216 7.6 10.1 .753
Isiah Thomas 77 36.2 20.9 1.1 2.5 3.6 10.8 2.2 0.3 3.8 3.2 7.9 16.2 .488 0.3 1.1 .310 4.7 6.0 .790
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 3 45.0 27.0 2.7 9.0 11.7 5.3 1.7 0.7 3.7 3.0 9.7 15.0 .644 0.3 1.7 .200 7.3 10.3 .710
Isiah Thomas 4 40.8 26.5 2.0 3.5 5.5 12.0 2.3 0.8 4.3 4.3 10.3 22.8 .451 0.0 1.3 .000 6.0 9.0 .667

Season 6

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1989-901986-87
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 79 39.1 25.2 4.6 6.9 11.5 3.9 1.9 0.6 3.1 3.2 8.9 14.9 .600 0.3 1.2 .217 7.1 9.4 .749
Isiah Thomas 81 37.2 20.6 1.0 2.9 3.9 10.0 1.9 0.2 4.2 3.1 7.7 16.7 .463 0.2 1.2 .194 4.9 6.4 .768
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 10 41.9 24.7 6.6 8.9 15.5 4.3 0.8 0.7 3.0 3.6 8.8 16.2 .543 0.6 1.8 .333 6.5 10.8 .602
Isiah Thomas 15 37.5 24.1 1.4 3.1 4.5 8.7 2.6 0.3 2.8 3.4 8.9 19.8 .451 0.7 2.2 .303 5.5 7.3 .755

Season 7

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1990-911987-88
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisPistons Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 67 37.3 27.6 3.9 6.3 10.1 4.2 1.6 0.5 3.1 2.6 9.9 17.4 .570 0.7 2.3 .284 7.1 9.8 .722
Isiah Thomas 81 36.1 19.5 0.8 2.6 3.4 8.4 1.7 0.2 3.4 2.7 7.7 16.6 .463 0.4 1.2 .309 3.8 4.9 .774
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 8 40.8 24.9 3.9 6.6 10.5 6.0 1.9 0.4 3.1 2.9 9.3 15.6 .592 0.3 2.5 .100 6.1 9.4 .653
Isiah Thomas 23 39.6 21.9 1.1 3.5 4.7 8.7 2.9 0.3 3.7 3.1 8.0 18.2 .437 0.6 1.9 .295 5.4 6.6 .828

Season 8

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1991-921988-89
Team Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 75 38.4 23.1 3.6 7.5 11.1 4.1 1.8 0.6 3.1 2.6 8.3 15.0 .552 0.4 1.8 .234 6.1 8.7 .695
Isiah Thomas 80 36.6 18.2 0.6 2.8 3.4 8.3 1.7 0.3 3.7 2.6 7.1 15.3 .464 0.4 1.5 .273 3.6 4.4 .818
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley ------- --- ----------
Isiah Thomas 17 37.2 18.2 1.4 2.9 4.3 8.3 1.6 0.2 2.5 2.3 6.8 16.4 .412 0.5 1.8 .267 4.2 5.6 .740

Season 9

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1992-931989-90
Team Phoenix SunsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 76 37.6 25.6 3.1 9.1 12.2 5.1 1.6 1.0 3.1 2.6 9.4 18.1 .520 0.9 2.9 .305 5.9 7.7 .765
Isiah Thomas 81 37.0 18.4 0.9 2.9 3.8 9.4 1.7 0.2 4.0 2.5 7.1 16.3 .438 0.5 1.7 .309 3.6 4.7 .775
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 24 42.8 26.6 3.9 9.7 13.6 4.3 1.6 1.0 2.1 3.0 9.6 20.1 .477 0.4 1.9 .222 7.0 9.1 .771
Isiah Thomas 20 37.9 20.5 1.1 4.4 5.5 8.2 2.2 0.4 3.6 3.3 7.4 16.0 .463 1.6 3.4 .471 4.1 5.1 .794

Season 10

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1993-941990-91
Team Phoenix SunsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 65 35.4 21.6 3.0 8.1 11.2 4.6 1.6 0.6 3.2 2.5 8.0 16.1 .495 0.7 2.7 .270 4.9 7.0 .704
Isiah Thomas 48 34.5 16.2 0.7 2.6 3.3 9.3 1.6 0.2 3.9 2.5 6.0 13.9 .435 0.4 1.4 .292 3.7 4.8 .782
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 10 42.5 27.6 3.4 9.6 13.0 4.8 2.5 0.9 2.7 2.6 11.0 21.6 .509 1.4 4.0 .350 4.2 5.5 .764
Isiah Thomas 13 33.5 13.5 1.0 3.2 4.2 8.5 1.0 0.2 3.2 3.2 4.6 11.5 .403 0.5 1.7 .273 3.8 5.3 .725

Season 11

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1994-951991-92
Team Phoenix SunsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisPistons 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 %
Charles Barkley 68 35.0 23.0 3.0 8.1 11.1 4.1 1.6 0.7 2.2 3.0 8.1 16.8 .486 1.1 3.2 .338 5.6 7.5 .748
Isiah Thomas 78 37.4 18.5 0.9 2.3 3.2 7.2 1.5 0.2 3.2 2.5 7.2 16.2 .446 0.3 1.1 .291 3.7 4.8 .772
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 10 39.0 25.7 3.9 9.5 13.4 3.2 1.3 1.1 2.5 2.8 9.1 18.2 .500 0.9 3.5 .257 6.6 9.0 .733
Isiah Thomas 5 40.0 14.0 0.6 4.6 5.2 7.4 1.0 0.0 3.2 3.6 4.4 13.0 .338 0.8 2.2 .364 4.4 5.6 .786

Season 12

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1995-961992-93
Team Phoenix SunsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West 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 %
Charles Barkley 71 37.1 23.2 3.4 8.1 11.6 3.7 1.6 0.8 3.1 2.9 8.2 16.3 .500 0.7 2.5 .280 6.2 8.0 .777
Isiah Thomas 79 37.0 17.6 0.9 2.0 2.9 8.5 1.6 0.2 3.6 2.8 6.7 15.9 .418 0.8 2.5 .308 3.5 4.8 .737
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 4 41.0 25.5 4.5 9.0 13.5 3.8 1.0 1.0 1.5 3.8 7.8 17.5 .443 0.8 3.0 .250 9.3 11.8 .787
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1996-971993-94
Team Houston RocketsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West 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 %
Charles Barkley 53 37.9 19.2 4.0 9.5 13.5 4.7 1.3 0.5 2.8 2.9 6.3 13.1 .484 1.1 3.9 .283 5.4 7.8 .694
Isiah Thomas 58 30.2 14.8 0.8 1.9 2.7 6.9 1.2 0.1 3.5 2.2 5.5 13.2 .417 0.7 2.2 .310 3.1 4.4 .702
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 16 37.9 17.9 4.0 8.0 12.0 3.4 1.2 0.4 2.7 3.3 5.4 12.4 .434 0.7 2.4 .289 6.4 8.4 .769
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1997-98-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Charles Barkley 68 33.0 15.2 3.5 8.1 11.7 3.2 1.0 0.4 2.2 2.8 5.3 10.9 .485 0.3 1.2 .214 4.4 5.8 .746
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 4 22.0 9.0 1.3 4.0 5.3 1.0 1.3 0.0 1.5 3.0 3.0 5.8 .522 0.0 0.5 .000 3.0 5.3 .571
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1998-99-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Charles Barkley 42 36.3 16.1 4.0 8.3 12.3 4.6 1.0 0.3 2.4 2.1 5.7 12.0 .478 0.1 0.6 .160 4.6 6.4 .719
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley 4 39.3 23.5 3.3 10.5 13.8 3.8 1.5 0.5 2.0 3.0 9.0 17.0 .529 0.5 1.8 .286 5.0 7.5 .667
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Charles Barkley Isiah Thomas
Season 1999-00-
Team Houston Rockets-
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 %
Charles Barkley 20 31.0 14.5 3.6 6.9 10.5 3.2 0.7 0.2 2.2 2.4 5.3 11.1 .477 0.3 1.3 .231 3.6 5.5 .645
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Charles Barkley ------- --- ----------
Isiah Thomas ------- --- ----------