Charles Barkley vs. Penny Hardaway Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Penny Hardaway 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 / Stats / Stats Rankings / 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, 2 more than Penny Hardaway, who played 14. Charles Barkley had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, while Penny Hardaway 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 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
Charles Barkley 16 13 1984-85 to 1999-00
Penny Hardaway 14 8 1993-94 to 2007-08

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1984-851993-94
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf FinalsMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+8.2+2.0+0.9+2.3+3.2+4.7+1.1+0.4-1.1-1.2+1.0+3.8+.079+0.6+2.2+.100+0.6+0.9+.009
Penny Hardaway 82 36.8 16.0 2.3 3.0 5.4 6.6 2.3 0.6 3.6 2.5 6.2 13.3 .466 0.6 2.3 .267 3.0 4.0 .742
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+10+12.9+3.8+1.3+3.1+4.4+5.0+0.1+0.8-4.0-0.5+1.5+6.0+.100+1.4+3.2+.212+0.8+1.5+.065
Penny Hardaway 3 44.3 18.7 2.7 4.0 6.7 7.0 1.7 2.0 6.7 3.3 7.3 16.7 .440 1.7 3.7 .455 2.3 3.3 .700

Season 2

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1985-861994-95
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisMagic Lost NBA Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+3+0.8+0.9+2.6+5.8+8.4+3.3+0.5+1.3-1.0-2.1+0.2+1.8+.060+0.9+2.3+.122+0.4+1.2+.084
Penny Hardaway 77 37.7 20.9 1.8 2.6 4.4 7.2 1.7 0.3 3.4 2.1 7.6 14.8 .512 1.1 3.2 .349 4.6 6.0 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+9+1.0+5.4+3.6+8.5+12.0+2.1+0.4+0.6-1.9-1.0+1.8+0.5+.106+1.8+3.4+.337+3.6+5.6+.062
Penny Hardaway 21 40.4 19.6 1.4 2.3 3.8 7.7 1.9 0.7 3.5 3.3 6.9 14.5 .472 1.9 4.7 .404 4.0 5.3 .757

Season 3

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1986-871995-96
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdMagic Lost East Conf 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%
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
difference:+14+3.5+1.3+4.1+6.2+10.3+2.2+0.2+1.0-1.9-1.7+0.6+1.0+.081+0.8+2.0+.112+0.9+1.2+.006
Penny Hardaway 82 36.8 21.7 1.6 2.7 4.3 7.1 2.0 0.5 2.8 2.0 7.6 14.8 .513 1.1 3.5 .314 5.4 7.1 .767
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+7+2.6+1.3+3.7+4.2+7.9+3.6+0.9+1.3-2.2-1.9+0.2+3.1+.108+1.5+3.0+.239+2.4+2.5+.056
Penny Hardaway 12 39.4 23.3 1.7 3.0 4.7 6.0 1.7 0.3 2.2 2.3 8.4 18.1 .465 1.7 4.6 .364 4.8 6.5 .744

Season 4

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1987-881996-97
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+21+2.0+7.8+3.4+4.0+7.4+2.4+0.3+0.7-1.3-1.4+2.3+0.1+.140+0.8+2.5+.038+4.1+6.1+.069
Penny Hardaway 59 37.6 20.5 1.4 3.1 4.5 5.6 1.6 0.6 2.5 2.1 7.1 15.9 .447 1.4 4.5 .318 4.8 5.8 .820
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Charles Barkley DNP------ --- ----------
Penny Hardaway 5 44.4 31.0 1.4 4.6 6.0 3.4 2.4 1.4 1.8 2.8 10.4 22.2 .468 2.2 6.0 .367 8.0 10.8 .741

Season 5

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1988-891997-98
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+60+6.2+9.4+4.7+3.8+8.5+0.5+0.1-0.8-0.9+3.5+0.9+.202+0.4+0.5+.084+2.9+3.9+.010
Penny Hardaway 19 32.9 16.4 0.4 3.6 4.0 3.6 1.5 0.8 2.4 2.4 5.4 14.4 .377 0.8 2.6 .300 4.7 6.2 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
Penny Hardaway DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1989-901998-99
Team Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+29+0.2+9.4+3.1+2.7+5.8+1.4+0.3+0.1-0.1-1.0+2.9+0.6+.180+0.5+1.6+.069+4.1+5.2+.043
Penny Hardaway 50 38.9 15.8 1.5 4.2 5.7 5.3 2.2 0.5 3.0 2.2 6.0 14.3 .420 0.8 2.8 .286 3.0 4.2 .706
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+6+0.1+5.7+4.3+6.1+10.5+1.2+1.5+0.4-0.3+3.8+1.9+.192+0.9+1.5+.129+1.0+1.0+.167
Penny Hardaway 4 41.8 19.0 2.3 2.8 5.0 5.5 2.3 0.3 3.0 3.3 5.0 14.3 .351 1.5 3.3 .462 7.5 9.8 .769

Season 7

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1990-911999-00
Team Philadelphia 76ersPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisSuns 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%
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
difference:+7+0.3+10.7+2.4+2.0+4.3+1.1+0.1-0.5-0.1+3.6+4.1+.096+0.1+0.6+.040+3.3+5.0+.068
Penny Hardaway 60 37.6 16.9 1.5 4.3 5.8 5.3 1.6 0.6 2.6 2.7 6.3 13.3 .474 0.6 1.7 .324 3.8 4.8 .790
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+1+2.0+4.6+2.3+3.3+5.6+0.3+0.3+0.6-0.3-0.3+1.9+0.5+.130+0.3+0.4+.163+1.2+2.5+.057
Penny Hardaway 9 42.8 20.3 1.6 3.3 4.9 5.7 1.6 1.0 2.8 3.2 7.4 16.1 .462 0.6 2.1 .263 4.9 6.9 .710

Season 8

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1991-922000-01
Team Philadelphia 76ersPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+71+10.4+13.3+2.3+4.2+6.6+0.3+0.3+0.3-2.3-1.1+4.5+6.0+.135+0.1+0.2+.016+4.3+5.9+.059
Penny Hardaway 4 28.0 9.8 1.3 3.3 4.5 3.8 1.5 0.3 0.8 1.5 3.8 9.0 .417 0.5 2.0 .250 1.8 2.8 .636
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Charles Barkley nor Penny Hardaway played in the postseason in their season 8

Season 9

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1992-932001-02
Team Phoenix SunsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+6.8+13.6+1.9+5.9+7.8+1.0+0.1+0.6-0.7-0.3+4.5+6.5+.102+0.6+1.9+.028+3.9+5.3+.045
Penny Hardaway 80 30.8 12.0 1.2 3.2 4.4 4.1 1.5 0.4 2.4 2.3 4.9 11.6 .418 0.3 1.0 .277 2.0 2.4 .810
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
Penny Hardaway DNP------ --- ----------

Season 10

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1993-942002-03
Team Phoenix SunsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisSuns Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+7+4.8+11.0+1.9+4.8+6.8+0.5+0.5+0.2-0.7-0.1+3.6+6.2+.048+0.3+1.4+.086+3.6+5.3+.090
Penny Hardaway 58 30.6 10.6 1.1 3.3 4.4 4.1 1.1 0.4 2.5 2.6 4.4 9.9 .447 0.4 1.3 .356 1.3 1.7 .794
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+1.8+14.9+1.9+5.1+7.0+0.5+0.3+0.1-0.5-1.7+6.5+9.9+.123+0.1+0.2+.010+2.0+2.5+.042
Penny Hardaway 6 40.7 12.7 1.5 4.5 6.0 4.3 2.2 0.8 2.2 4.3 4.5 11.7 .386 1.5 4.2 .360 2.2 3.0 .722

Season 11

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1994-952003-04
Team Phoenix SunsPhoenix Suns, New York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisKnicks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+8+7.4+13.8+2.1+5.2+7.3+1.8+0.7+0.4-0.8-1.1+4.4+7.9+.075+0.7+2.2+.042+4.1+5.7+.056
Penny Hardaway 76 27.6 9.2 0.9 2.9 3.8 2.3 0.9 0.3 1.4 1.9 3.7 8.9 .411 0.4 1.0 .380 1.5 1.8 .804
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+6+3.0+9.2+2.9+6.0+8.9+2.6+0.2+0.8-0.8+3.3+2.4+.135+0.4+.100+2.8+4.5+.100
Penny Hardaway 4 42.0 16.5 1.0 3.5 4.5 5.8 1.5 0.3 2.5 2.0 5.8 15.8 .365 1.3 3.5 .357 3.8 4.5 .833

Season 12

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1995-962004-05
Team Phoenix SunsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+34+12.9+15.9+2.9+6.2+9.2+1.7+0.8+0.7-1.7-0.8+5.2+9.3+.077+0.3+1.1+.020+5.3+6.8+.038
Penny Hardaway 37 24.2 7.3 0.5 1.9 2.4 2.0 0.8 0.1 1.4 2.1 3.0 7.0 .423 0.4 1.4 .300 0.9 1.2 .739
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
Penny Hardaway DNP------ --- ----------

Season 13

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1996-972005-06
Team Houston RocketsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+49+19.9+16.7+4.0+7.0+11.0+2.7+0.8+0.5-1.3-1.1+5.3+9.6+.198+1.1+3.6+.283+4.9+7.3+.306
Penny Hardaway 4 18.0 2.5 0.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 0.5 0.0 1.5 1.8 1.0 3.5 .286 0.0 0.3 .000 0.5 0.5 1.000
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
Penny Hardaway DNP------ --- ----------

Note: Penny Hardaway didn't play in 2006-07.

Season 14

Charles Barkley Penny Hardaway
Season 1997-982007-08
Team Houston RocketsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+52+12.7+11.4+3.3+6.1+9.5+1.0+0.2+0.3-1.4-1.3+3.9+7.1+.118+0.2+.207+3.9+5.2+.143
Penny Hardaway 16 20.3 3.8 0.2 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.2 0.1 0.8 1.5 1.4 3.8 .367 0.5 1.2 .421 0.5 0.6 .889
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
Penny Hardaway DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Charles Barkley played 2 seasons more than Penny Hardaway in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 15 to 16, from 1999 to 2000—Charles Barkley played in one postseason.