Elvin Hayes vs. Jameer Nelson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jameer Nelson and Elvin Hayes, 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.

Elvin Hayes played 16 years in the NBA, 2 more than Jameer Nelson, who played 14. Elvin Hayes had the first of his seasons in 1968-69, while Jameer Nelson had his rookie season in 2004-05. 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
Elvin Hayes 16 10 1968-69 to 1983-84
Jameer Nelson 14 6 2004-05 to 2017-18

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

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1968-692004-05
Team San Diego RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 82 45.1 28.4 - - 17.1 1.4 - - - 3.2 11.3 25.4 .447 - - - 5.7 9.1 .626
Jameer Nelson 79 20.4 8.7 0.7 1.8 2.4 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.5 2.5 3.6 7.9 .455 0.6 1.8 .312 0.9 1.4 .682
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 6 46.3 25.8 - - 13.8 0.8 - - - 3.5 10.0 19.0 .526 - - - 5.8 8.8 .660
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1969-702005-06
Team San Diego RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 44.7 27.5 - - 16.9 2.0 - - - 3.3 11.1 24.6 .452 - - - 5.2 7.6 .688
Jameer Nelson 62 28.8 14.6 0.6 2.3 2.9 4.9 1.1 0.1 2.4 2.8 5.6 11.6 .483 1.1 2.7 .424 2.3 2.9 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1970-712006-07
Team San Diego RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic 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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 44.3 28.7 - - 16.6 2.3 - - - 2.7 11.6 27.0 .428 - - - 5.5 8.2 .672
Jameer Nelson 77 30.3 13.0 0.6 2.4 3.1 4.3 0.9 0.1 2.4 2.9 4.9 11.4 .430 0.8 2.5 .335 2.4 2.9 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 4 32.3 14.3 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.3 0.8 0.0 2.3 4.8 5.3 12.5 .420 1.3 3.5 .357 2.5 2.8 .909

Season 4

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1971-722007-08
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic 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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 42.2 25.2 - - 14.6 3.3 - - - 2.8 10.1 23.4 .434 - - - 4.9 7.5 .649
Jameer Nelson 69 28.4 10.9 0.4 3.1 3.5 5.6 0.9 0.1 2.0 2.4 4.1 8.7 .469 0.9 2.2 .416 1.8 2.2 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 10 33.3 16.2 0.4 3.7 4.1 4.7 0.3 0.2 2.1 4.3 5.7 11.3 .504 2.0 4.1 .488 2.8 3.7 .757

Season 5

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1972-732008-09
Team Baltimore BulletsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisMagic Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 81 41.3 21.2 - - 14.5 1.6 - - - 2.9 8.8 19.8 .444 - - - 3.6 5.4 .671
Jameer Nelson 42 31.2 16.7 0.5 3.0 3.5 5.4 1.2 0.1 2.0 2.9 6.4 12.6 .503 2.0 4.3 .453 2.0 2.3 .887
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 5 45.6 25.8 - - 11.4 1.0 - - - 3.2 10.6 21.0 .505 - - - 4.6 6.6 .697
Jameer Nelson 5 18.0 3.8 0.2 1.2 1.4 2.8 0.2 0.0 1.4 0.6 1.6 4.6 .348 0.2 1.2 .167 0.4 0.8 .500

Season 6

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1973-742009-10
Team Capital BulletsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisMagic 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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 44.5 21.4 4.4 13.7 18.1 2.0 1.1 3.0 - 3.1 8.5 20.1 .423 - - - 4.4 6.1 .721
Jameer Nelson 65 28.6 12.6 0.4 2.6 3.0 5.4 0.7 0.0 2.1 2.3 4.9 10.9 .449 1.3 3.5 .381 1.5 1.8 .845
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 7 46.1 25.9 4.4 11.4 15.9 3.0 0.7 2.1 - 3.3 10.9 20.4 .531 - - - 4.1 5.9 .707
Jameer Nelson 14 34.2 19.0 0.6 2.9 3.6 4.8 1.0 0.0 2.5 2.7 6.5 13.6 .479 2.4 6.0 .393 3.6 4.4 .823

Season 7

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1974-752010-11
Team Washington BulletsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsMagic 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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 42.3 23.0 2.7 9.5 12.2 2.5 1.9 2.3 - 2.9 9.0 20.3 .443 - - - 5.0 6.5 .766
Jameer Nelson 76 30.5 13.1 0.5 2.5 3.0 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.6 2.8 4.9 11.0 .446 1.6 3.9 .401 1.7 2.1 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 17 44.2 25.5 2.7 8.2 10.9 2.2 1.5 2.3 - 4.1 10.2 21.9 .468 - - - 5.1 7.5 .677
Jameer Nelson 6 36.0 13.2 1.2 3.0 4.2 5.0 2.0 0.0 1.3 2.3 5.2 13.7 .378 1.0 4.3 .231 1.8 2.3 .786

Season 8

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1975-762011-12
Team Washington BulletsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisMagic 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 %
Elvin Hayes 80 37.2 19.8 2.6 8.4 11.0 1.5 1.3 2.5 - 3.7 8.1 17.3 .470 - - - 3.6 5.7 .628
Jameer Nelson 57 29.9 11.9 0.5 2.7 3.2 5.7 0.7 0.1 2.4 2.3 4.5 10.6 .427 1.5 4.1 .377 1.2 1.5 .807
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 7 43.6 20.0 2.3 10.3 12.6 1.4 0.7 4.0 - 3.4 7.7 17.4 .443 - - - 4.6 7.9 .582
Jameer Nelson 5 36.4 15.6 0.2 3.6 3.8 6.6 0.8 0.2 2.0 2.6 5.8 14.8 .392 1.6 5.0 .320 2.4 3.2 .750

Season 9

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1976-772012-13
Team Washington BulletsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets 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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 41.0 23.7 3.5 9.0 12.5 1.9 1.1 2.7 - 3.8 9.3 18.5 .501 - - - 5.1 7.5 .687
Jameer Nelson 56 35.3 14.7 0.4 3.3 3.7 7.4 1.3 0.1 2.8 2.9 5.5 13.9 .392 2.2 6.3 .341 1.6 1.8 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 9 45.0 21.0 3.2 10.3 13.6 1.9 1.1 2.4 - 4.3 8.2 19.2 .428 - - - 4.6 6.6 .695
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1977-782013-14
Team Washington BulletsOrlando Magic
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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 40.1 19.7 4.1 9.1 13.3 1.8 1.2 2.0 2.8 3.9 7.9 17.4 .451 - - - 4.0 6.3 .634
Jameer Nelson 68 32.0 12.1 0.4 3.0 3.4 7.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 2.1 4.3 11.0 .394 2.0 5.8 .348 1.4 1.6 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 21 41.3 21.8 4.9 8.4 13.3 2.0 1.5 2.5 2.8 4.1 9.0 18.3 .491 - - - 3.8 6.3 .594
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1978-792014-15
Team Washington BulletsDallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 82 37.9 21.8 3.8 8.3 12.1 1.7 0.9 2.3 2.9 3.8 8.8 18.0 .487 - - - 4.3 6.5 .654
Jameer Nelson 63 22.3 8.3 0.5 1.8 2.3 4.0 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.2 3.3 8.0 .407 1.4 4.1 .345 0.4 0.6 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 19 41.4 22.5 4.9 9.1 14.0 2.0 0.9 2.7 2.9 4.2 8.9 20.8 .429 - - - 4.6 6.8 .669
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1979-802015-16
Team Washington BulletsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East 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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 39.3 23.0 3.3 7.7 11.1 1.6 0.8 2.3 2.7 3.8 9.4 20.7 .454 0.0 0.2 .231 4.1 5.9 .699
Jameer Nelson 39 26.6 7.7 0.5 2.5 2.9 4.9 0.6 0.1 1.7 2.6 2.9 7.9 .368 1.1 3.7 .299 0.8 0.9 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 2 46.0 20.0 5.0 6.0 11.0 3.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 8.0 20.5 .390 0.0 0.0 - 4.0 5.0 .800
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1980-812016-17
Team Washington BulletsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards
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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 36.2 17.8 2.9 6.8 9.7 1.2 0.8 2.1 2.3 3.7 7.2 16.0 .451 0.0 0.1 .000 3.3 5.4 .617
Jameer Nelson 75 27.3 9.2 0.4 2.2 2.6 5.1 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.6 3.6 8.1 .444 1.4 3.6 .388 0.6 0.8 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1981-822017-18
Team Houston RocketsNew Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Elvin Hayes 82 37.0 16.1 3.3 5.9 9.1 1.8 0.8 1.3 2.5 3.5 6.3 13.4 .472 0.0 0.1 .000 3.4 5.1 .664
Jameer Nelson 50 20.3 4.9 0.3 1.8 2.1 3.6 0.5 0.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 4.9 .389 0.8 2.5 .331 0.3 0.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes 3 41.3 14.0 2.3 7.7 10.0 1.0 0.7 3.3 2.0 4.0 5.7 16.7 .340 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 5.0 .533
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1982-83-
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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 28.4 12.9 2.5 5.1 7.6 2.0 0.6 1.0 2.5 2.9 5.2 11.0 .476 0.0 0.0 .500 2.4 3.5 .683
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Elvin Hayes Jameer Nelson
Season 1983-84-
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 %
Elvin Hayes 81 12.3 5.0 1.1 2.1 3.2 0.9 0.2 0.3 1.0 1.5 2.0 4.8 .406 0.0 0.0 .000 1.1 1.6 .652
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------