Damian Lillard vs. Gary Payton Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Gary Payton and Damian Lillard, 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings

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.

Damian Lillard played 13 years in the NBA, 4 less than Gary Payton, who played 17. Damian Lillard had the first of his seasons in 2012-13, while Gary Payton had his rookie season in 1990-91. 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
Damian Lillard 13 10 2012-13 to 2024-25
Gary Payton 17 15 1990-91 to 2006-07

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2012-131990-91
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics Lost West 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%
Damian Lillard 82 38.6 19.0 0.5 2.6 3.1 6.5 0.9 0.2 3.0 2.1 6.7 15.7 .429 2.3 6.1 .368 3.3 3.9 .844
difference:+11.2+11.8+0.8+1.0+0.1+0.1+1.1-0.8-0.9+3.5+8.7+.021+2.3+5.9+.291+2.5+2.7+.133
Gary Payton 82 27.4 7.2 1.3 1.6 3.0 6.4 2.0 0.2 2.2 3.0 3.2 7.0 .450 0.0 0.2 .077 0.8 1.2 .711
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard DNP------ --- ----------
Gary Payton 5 27.0 4.8 1.0 1.6 2.6 6.4 1.6 0.2 1.8 3.2 2.2 5.4 .407 0.0 0.2 .000 0.4 0.4 1.000

Season 2

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2013-141991-92
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf SemisSupersonics Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 82 35.8 20.7 0.4 3.1 3.5 5.6 0.8 0.3 2.4 2.4 6.7 15.9 .424 2.7 6.8 .394 4.5 5.2 .871
difference:+1+4.3+11.3+1.1+1.0+0.1+0.6+1.0-0.3-0.7+2.6+6.8+.027+2.7+6.5+.264+3.3+3.4+.202
Gary Payton 81 31.5 9.4 1.5 2.1 3.6 6.2 1.8 0.3 2.1 3.1 4.1 9.1 .451 0.0 0.3 .130 1.2 1.8 .669
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 11 42.4 22.9 1.1 4.0 5.1 6.5 1.0 0.1 2.7 2.6 7.5 17.2 .439 2.5 6.4 .386 5.4 6.0 .894
difference:+3+14.8+15.3+0.3+2.1+2.5+1.7+0.2-1.4-0.7+4.1+9.9+.027+2.5+6.1+.386+4.5+4.5+.311
Gary Payton 8 27.6 7.6 0.8 1.9 2.6 4.8 1.0 0.3 1.3 3.3 3.4 7.3 .466 0.0 0.3 .000 0.9 1.5 .583

Season 3

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2014-151992-93
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West 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%
Damian Lillard 82 35.7 21.0 0.6 4.0 4.6 6.2 1.2 0.3 2.7 2.0 7.2 16.6 .434 2.4 7.0 .343 4.2 4.9 .864
difference:+4.6+7.5+0.6+1.7+1.2+1.3+1.0-0.9-1.0+1.4+4.9+.060+2.3+6.6+.137+2.4+2.5+.094
Gary Payton 82 31.1 13.5 1.2 2.3 3.4 4.9 2.2 0.3 1.8 3.0 5.8 11.7 .494 0.1 0.4 .206 1.8 2.4 .770
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 5 40.2 21.6 0.4 3.6 4.0 4.6 0.4 0.6 2.4 3.0 7.8 19.2 .406 1.0 6.2 .161 5.0 6.4 .781
difference:+14+8.4+9.3+0.8+1.4+0.7+0.9+1.4+0.4-0.6-0.4+2.3+6.8+.037+0.9+5.9+.006+3.7+4.5+.105
Gary Payton 19 31.8 12.3 1.2 2.2 3.3 3.7 1.8 0.2 1.8 3.4 5.5 12.4 .443 0.1 0.3 .167 1.3 1.9 .676

Season 4

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2015-161993-94
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf SemisSupersonics Lost West 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%
Damian Lillard 75 35.7 25.1 0.6 3.4 4.0 6.8 0.9 0.4 3.2 2.2 8.2 19.7 .419 3.1 8.1 .375 5.5 6.2 .892
difference:+7+0.6+8.6+0.7+1.4+0.7+0.8+1.4+0.2-1.1-0.6+1.1+5.6+.085+2.9+7.4+.097+3.5+2.8+.297
Gary Payton 82 35.1 16.5 1.3 2.0 3.3 6.0 2.3 0.2 2.1 2.8 7.1 14.1 .504 0.2 0.7 .278 2.0 3.4 .595
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 11 39.7 26.5 1.1 3.2 4.3 6.3 1.3 0.3 3.0 2.1 8.1 22.0 .368 3.8 9.7 .393 6.5 7.1 .910
difference:+6+3.5+10.7+0.1+1.0+0.9+0.7+0.3+0.1-1.4-0.9+1.3+8.2+.125+3.2+7.9+.060+4.9+3.3+.489
Gary Payton 5 36.2 15.8 1.2 2.2 3.4 5.6 1.6 0.4 1.6 3.0 6.8 13.8 .493 0.6 1.8 .333 1.6 3.8 .421

Season 5

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2016-171994-95
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 75 35.9 27.0 0.6 4.3 4.9 5.9 0.9 0.3 2.6 2.0 8.8 19.8 .444 2.9 7.7 .370 6.5 7.3 .895
difference:+7+0.9+6.4+0.7+2.2+1.5+1.2+1.6+0.1-0.1-0.5+0.4+3.4+.065+2.0+4.9+.068+3.5+3.1+.179
Gary Payton 82 36.8 20.6 1.3 2.1 3.4 7.1 2.5 0.2 2.5 2.5 8.4 16.4 .509 0.9 2.8 .302 3.0 4.2 .716
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 4 37.8 27.8 1.0 3.5 4.5 3.3 1.3 0.5 3.3 2.8 9.8 22.5 .433 2.3 8.0 .281 6.0 6.3 .960
difference:+5.2+10.0+0.5+2.5+2.0+2.0+0.5-1.3-0.5+1.8+5.7+.045+1.8+5.5+.081+4.7+3.3+.543
Gary Payton 4 43.0 17.8 1.5 1.0 2.5 5.3 1.3 0.0 2.0 3.3 8.0 16.8 .478 0.5 2.5 .200 1.3 3.0 .417

Season 6

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2017-181995-96
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Steals Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 73 36.6 26.9 0.8 3.6 4.5 6.6 1.1 0.4 2.8 1.6 8.5 19.4 .439 3.1 8.6 .361 6.8 7.4 .916
difference:+8+2.4+7.6+0.5+0.7+0.3+0.9+1.8+0.2-0.4-1.1+0.9+3.6+.045+1.9+4.9+.033+4.0+3.6+.168
Gary Payton 81 39.0 19.3 1.3 2.9 4.2 7.5 2.9 0.2 3.2 2.7 7.6 15.8 .484 1.2 3.7 .328 2.8 3.8 .748
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 4 40.5 18.5 0.8 3.8 4.5 4.8 1.3 0.0 4.0 2.0 6.3 17.8 .352 2.3 7.5 .300 3.8 4.3 .882
difference:+17+2.9+2.2+0.1+0.4+0.6+2.0+0.5+0.3-1.0-1.3+1.4+1.9+.133+0.3+2.7+.110+0.5+0.9+.249
Gary Payton 21 43.4 20.7 0.9 4.2 5.1 6.8 1.8 0.3 3.0 3.3 7.7 15.9 .485 2.0 4.8 .410 3.3 5.2 .633

Season 7

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2018-191996-97
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf FinalsSupersonics 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%
Damian Lillard 80 35.5 25.8 0.9 3.8 4.6 6.9 1.1 0.4 2.7 1.9 8.5 19.2 .444 3.0 8.0 .369 5.9 6.4 .912
difference:+2+3.7+4.0+0.4+0.5+0.2+1.3+0.2-0.1-0.6+0.1+1.1+.032+1.5+3.4+.056+2.8+2.1+.197
Gary Payton 82 39.2 21.8 1.3 3.3 4.6 7.1 2.4 0.2 2.6 2.5 8.6 18.1 .476 1.5 4.6 .313 3.1 4.3 .715
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 16 40.6 26.9 0.5 4.3 4.8 6.6 1.7 0.3 3.8 2.5 8.6 20.6 .418 3.7 9.9 .373 5.9 7.1 .833
difference:+4+5.0+3.1+1.2+0.5+0.6+2.1+0.5-0.9-0.3+0.2+0.7+.006+1.6+3.6+.040+1.7+2.0+.013
Gary Payton 12 45.6 23.8 1.7 3.8 5.4 8.7 2.2 0.3 2.9 2.2 8.8 21.3 .412 2.1 6.3 .333 4.2 5.1 .820

Season 8

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2019-201997-98
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 66 37.5 30.0 0.5 3.8 4.3 8.0 1.1 0.3 2.9 1.7 9.5 20.4 .463 4.1 10.2 .401 7.0 7.8 .888
difference:+16+0.9+10.8+0.4+0.2+0.3+0.3+1.2+0.1-0.1-0.7+2.4+4.8+.010+2.5+5.4+.063+3.6+3.2+.144
Gary Payton 82 38.4 19.2 0.9 3.6 4.6 8.3 2.3 0.2 2.8 2.4 7.1 15.6 .453 1.6 4.8 .338 3.4 4.6 .744
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 4 35.8 24.3 0.3 3.3 3.5 4.3 0.5 0.3 3.5 1.0 6.5 16.0 .406 3.3 8.3 .394 8.0 8.3 .970
difference:+6+6.9+0.3+0.6+0.8+0.1+2.7+1.3+0.2-0.9-2.1+2.2+2.3+.069+1.4+3.3+.014+3.3+3.3+.030
Gary Payton 10 42.7 24.0 0.9 2.5 3.4 7.0 1.8 0.1 2.6 3.1 8.7 18.3 .475 1.9 5.0 .380 4.7 5.0 .940

Season 9

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2020-211998-99
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdDid 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%
Damian Lillard 67 35.8 28.8 0.5 3.7 4.2 7.5 0.9 0.3 3.0 1.5 9.0 19.9 .451 4.1 10.5 .391 6.7 7.2 .928
difference:+17+4.4+7.1+0.7+0.1+0.7+1.2+1.3+0.1-0.1-0.8+1.0+1.4+.017+2.4+4.9+.096+2.7+1.7+.207
Gary Payton 50 40.2 21.7 1.2 3.6 4.9 8.7 2.2 0.2 3.1 2.3 8.0 18.5 .434 1.7 5.6 .295 4.0 5.5 .721
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 6 41.3 34.3 0.2 4.2 4.3 10.2 1.0 0.7 2.2 1.5 10.3 22.3 .463 5.8 13.0 .449 7.8 8.3 .940
Gary Payton DNP------ --- ----------

Season 10

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2021-221999-00
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics 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%
Damian Lillard 29 36.4 24.0 0.4 3.7 4.1 7.3 0.6 0.4 2.9 1.3 7.7 19.0 .402 3.2 9.8 .324 5.5 6.2 .878
difference:+53+5.4+0.2+0.8+1.5+2.4+1.6+1.3+0.2-0.2-0.9+1.4+1.3+.046+1.0+3.5+.016+1.7+1.0+.143
Gary Payton 82 41.8 24.2 1.2 5.2 6.5 8.9 1.9 0.2 2.7 2.2 9.1 20.3 .448 2.2 6.3 .340 3.8 5.2 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard DNP------ --- ----------
Gary Payton 5 44.2 25.8 1.6 6.0 7.6 7.4 1.8 0.2 3.6 3.2 10.0 22.6 .442 1.8 4.6 .391 4.0 5.2 .769

Season 11

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2022-232000-01
Team Portland Trail BlazersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third TeamAchievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 58 36.3 32.2 0.8 4.0 4.8 7.3 0.9 0.3 3.3 1.9 9.6 20.7 .463 4.2 11.3 .371 8.8 9.6 .914
difference:+21+4.8+9.1+0.1+0.4+0.2+0.8+0.7-0.7-0.4+0.4+0.6+.007+2.9+7.9+.004+5.4+5.1+.148
Gary Payton 79 41.1 23.1 0.9 3.6 4.6 8.1 1.6 0.3 2.6 2.3 9.2 20.1 .456 1.3 3.4 .375 3.4 4.5 .766
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Damian Lillard nor Gary Payton played in the postseason in their season 11

Season 12

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2023-242001-02
Team Milwaukee BucksSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf 1st RdSupersonics Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 73 35.3 24.3 0.5 3.9 4.4 7.0 1.0 0.2 2.6 1.8 7.4 17.5 .424 3.0 8.5 .354 6.5 7.0 .920
difference:+9+5.0+2.2+0.5+0.4+2.0+0.6+0.1-0.1-0.4+1.6+1.7+.043+2.1+5.6+.040+3.2+2.9+.123
Gary Payton 82 40.3 22.1 1.0 3.9 4.8 9.0 1.6 0.3 2.5 2.2 9.0 19.2 .467 0.9 2.9 .314 3.3 4.1 .797
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 4 39.0 31.3 0.5 2.8 3.3 5.0 1.0 0.0 2.3 2.0 8.5 20.3 .420 5.0 12.0 .417 9.3 9.5 .974
difference:+1+2.2+9.1+1.5+3.8+5.3+0.8+0.4+0.4-0.3-0.4+0.5+0.9+.005+4.2+9.0+.150+5.9+3.7+.388
Gary Payton 5 41.2 22.2 2.0 6.6 8.6 5.8 0.6 0.4 2.6 2.4 9.0 21.2 .425 0.8 3.0 .267 3.4 5.8 .586

Season 13

Damian Lillard Gary Payton
Season 2024-252002-03
Team Milwaukee BucksSeattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement Cup All-Tournament Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf 1st RdBucks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
Others NBA Cup NBA Cup Champion-
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 58 36.1 24.9 0.5 4.2 4.7 7.1 1.2 0.2 2.8 1.7 7.7 17.1 .448 3.4 9.0 .376 6.2 6.8 .921
difference:+22+4.0+4.5+0.5+1.0+0.5+1.2+0.5+0.1-0.5-0.6+0.6+1.2+.006+2.7+6.7+.079+3.1+2.4+.211
Gary Payton 80 40.1 20.4 1.0 3.2 4.2 8.3 1.7 0.3 2.3 2.3 8.3 18.3 .454 0.7 2.3 .297 3.1 4.4 .710
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Damian Lillard 3 25.0 7.0 0.3 2.3 2.7 4.7 0.7 0.7 1.0 2.7 2.0 9.0 .222 1.0 5.3 .188 2.0 2.3 .857
difference:+3+16.8+11.5+0.4+0.3+4.0+0.6+0.5-1.2-0.3+6.0+9.7+.207+0.8+2.8+.121+0.3+1.0+.157
Gary Payton 6 41.8 18.5 0.7 2.3 3.0 8.7 1.3 0.2 2.2 3.0 8.0 18.7 .429 0.2 2.5 .067 2.3 3.3 .700

Additional Years

* Gary Payton played 4 seasons more than Damian Lillard in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 14 to 17, from 2004 to 2007—Gary Payton played in 4 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship.