Donovan Clingan vs. Dirk Nowitzki Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Dirk Nowitzki and Donovan Clingan, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Donovan Clingan played 2 years in the NBA, 19 less than Dirk Nowitzki, who played 21. Donovan Clingan had the first of his seasons in 2024-25, while Dirk Nowitzki had his rookie season in 1998-99. 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 |
| Donovan Clingan | 2 | 0 | 2024-25 to 2025-26 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 21 | 15 | 1998-99 to 2018-19 |
Rookie Season |
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| Donovan Clingan | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Season | 2024-25 | 1998-99 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | Dallas Mavericks |
| Honors & Awards |  All-Rookie Second Team | - |
| Playoffs | Did not play | Did not play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Donovan Clingan | 67 | 19.8 | 6.5 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 5.0 | .539 | 0.2 | 0.7 | .286 | 0.9 | 1.6 | .596 |
| difference: | +20 | +0.6 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +2.0 | +4.5 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +1.0 | -0.5 | -0.6 | +0.2 | +2.1 | +.134 | +0.1 | +0.7 | +.080 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +.177 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 47 | 20.4 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 7.1 | .405 | 0.3 | 1.4 | .206 | 2.1 | 2.7 | .773 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Donovan Clingan nor Dirk Nowitzki played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 2 |
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| Donovan Clingan | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Season | 2025-26 | 1999-00 |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers | Dallas Mavericks |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did not play (season in progress) | Did not play |
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Donovan Clingan | 28 | 26.5 | 10.7 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 7.8 | .528 | 0.8 | 2.6 | .319 | 1.6 | 2.5 | .657 |
| difference: | +54 | +9.3 | +6.8 | +3.3 | +0.9 | +4.1 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.7 | -0.8 | -0.5 | +2.2 | +5.8 | +.067 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +.060 | +1.9 | +1.7 | +.173 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 82 | 35.8 | 17.5 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 13.6 | .461 | 1.4 | 3.7 | .379 | 3.5 | 4.2 | .830 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Donovan Clingan nor Dirk Nowitzki played in the postseason in their season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* Dirk Nowitzki played 19 seasons more than Donovan Clingan in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 3 to 21, from 2001 to 2019—Dirk Nowitzki played in 15 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those 19 extra years over Donovan Clingan, Dirk Nowitzki got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 Finals MVP 1 Season MVP 4 All-NBA First Team 5 All-NBA Second Team 3 All-NBA Third Team 14 All-Star Game |