Chris Ford vs. Bob Lanier Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bob Lanier and Chris Ford, 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.

Chris Ford played 10 years in the NBA, 4 less than Bob Lanier, who played 14. Chris Ford had the first of his seasons in 1972-73, while Bob Lanier had his rookie season in 1970-71. 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
Chris Ford 10 7 1972-73 to 1981-82
Bob Lanier 14 9 1970-71 to 1983-84

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1972-731970-71
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
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 %
Chris Ford 74 20.8 6.4 - - 3.6 2.6 - - - 1.8 2.8 5.9 .479 - - - 0.8 1.3 .645
Bob Lanier 82 24.6 15.6 - - 8.1 1.8 - - - 3.3 6.1 13.5 .455 - - - 3.3 4.6 .726
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1973-741971-72
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost West 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 %
Chris Ford 82 25.1 7.1 1.3 2.4 3.7 3.4 1.8 0.2 - 1.9 3.2 7.3 .444 - - - 0.7 0.9 .740
Bob Lanier 80 38.7 25.7 - - 14.2 3.1 - - - 3.7 10.4 21.1 .493 - - - 4.9 6.3 .768
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 5 18.8 4.0 0.8 2.2 3.0 1.4 0.4 0.4 - 2.0 1.6 3.4 .471 - - - 0.8 1.2 .667
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1974-751972-73
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons 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 %
Chris Ford 80 24.5 5.9 1.2 2.2 3.4 2.9 1.4 0.3 - 2.3 2.6 5.4 .474 - - - 0.8 1.2 .663
Bob Lanier 81 38.9 23.8 - - 14.9 3.2 - - - 3.4 10.0 20.4 .490 - - - 3.8 4.9 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 3 27.3 4.0 0.7 3.7 4.3 3.3 0.3 0.0 - 2.7 2.0 3.7 .545 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1975-761973-74
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisPistons 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 %
Chris Ford 82 26.8 8.4 1.0 2.6 3.5 3.3 2.2 0.3 - 2.7 3.7 8.6 .426 - - - 1.0 1.4 .722
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 9 30.7 8.7 0.7 3.3 4.0 4.4 1.2 0.6 - 3.7 3.7 9.0 .407 - - - 1.3 1.7 .800
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

Season 5

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1976-771974-75
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdPistons 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 %
Chris Ford 82 31.0 12.3 1.2 2.1 3.3 4.1 2.2 0.3 - 2.3 5.3 11.2 .476 - - - 1.6 2.1 .771
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 3 33.7 13.7 2.7 3.7 6.3 4.0 2.3 0.0 - 3.7 6.0 14.7 .409 - - - 1.7 3.0 .556
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

Season 6

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1977-781975-76
Team Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayPistons 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 %
Chris Ford 82 31.5 10.5 1.4 1.8 3.3 4.6 2.0 0.2 2.8 2.2 4.6 9.5 .481 - - - 1.4 1.9 .734
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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

Season 7

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1978-791976-77
Team Detroit Pistons, Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayPistons 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 %
Chris Ford 81 33.8 15.4 1.5 1.9 3.4 4.6 1.4 0.3 2.6 2.6 6.6 14.1 .471 - - - 2.1 2.8 .758
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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

Season 8

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1979-801977-78
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics 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 %
Chris Ford 73 29.0 11.2 1.1 1.4 2.5 2.9 1.5 0.4 1.4 2.4 4.5 9.7 .465 1.0 2.2 .427 1.2 1.6 .754
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 9 31.0 9.1 1.0 1.8 2.8 2.3 1.6 0.7 1.4 3.9 3.8 8.8 .430 0.2 1.4 .154 1.3 1.7 .800
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1980-811978-79
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 82 33.2 8.9 0.9 1.1 2.0 3.6 1.2 0.3 1.5 2.6 3.8 8.6 .444 0.4 1.3 .330 0.8 1.1 .736
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 17 29.8 9.1 0.8 1.9 2.6 2.7 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.8 3.9 8.6 .452 0.4 1.5 .280 0.9 1.5 .600
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
Season 1981-821979-80
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsBucks 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 %
Chris Ford 76 20.9 5.7 0.7 0.7 1.4 1.9 0.6 0.1 0.7 1.9 2.5 5.9 .418 0.3 0.8 .317 0.5 0.7 .696
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford 12 11.5 3.9 0.5 0.8 1.3 1.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 1.3 1.7 3.5 .476 0.2 0.6 .286 0.4 0.6 .714
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

Season 11

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
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 %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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

Season 12

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
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 %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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

Season 13

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
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 %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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

Season 14

Chris Ford Bob Lanier
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 %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Chris Ford ------- --- ----------
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