Elvin Hayes vs. Purvis Short Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Purvis Short 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, 4 more than Purvis Short, who played 12. Elvin Hayes had the first of his seasons in 1968-69, while Purvis Short had his rookie season in 1978-79. 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
Purvis Short 12 3 1978-79 to 1989-90

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 Purvis Short
Season 1968-691978-79
Team San Diego RocketsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First 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
Purvis Short 75 22.7 10.6 1.7 2.9 4.6 1.3 0.7 0.2 1.5 3.1 4.9 10.3 .479 - - - 0.8 1.1 .671
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1969-701979-80
Team San Diego RocketsGolden State Warriors
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
Purvis Short 62 26.4 17.0 1.9 3.2 5.1 2.0 1.0 0.1 2.0 3.0 7.4 14.8 .503 0.0 0.1 .000 2.2 2.7 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1970-711980-81
Team San Diego RocketsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards 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 44.3 28.7 - - 16.6 2.3 - - - 2.7 11.6 27.0 .428 - - - 5.5 8.2 .672
Purvis Short 79 29.2 16.1 1.9 3.0 4.9 3.2 1.0 0.2 1.8 3.1 6.9 14.6 .475 0.0 0.2 .176 2.1 2.6 .820
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1971-721981-82
Team Houston RocketsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards 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 42.2 25.2 - - 14.6 3.3 - - - 2.8 10.1 23.4 .434 - - - 4.9 7.5 .649
Purvis Short 76 23.4 14.4 1.6 1.9 3.5 2.8 0.9 0.1 1.6 2.9 6.0 12.3 .488 0.1 0.4 .214 2.3 2.9 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1972-731982-83
Team Baltimore BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second 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 81 41.3 21.2 - - 14.5 1.6 - - - 2.9 8.8 19.8 .444 - - - 3.6 5.4 .671
Purvis Short 67 35.8 21.4 2.2 3.1 5.3 3.4 1.4 0.2 2.9 3.6 8.8 18.0 .487 0.1 0.2 .267 3.8 4.6 .828
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1973-741983-84
Team Capital BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
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 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
Purvis Short 79 37.3 22.8 2.3 3.2 5.5 3.1 1.3 0.1 2.9 3.2 9.0 19.1 .473 0.3 0.9 .306 4.5 5.6 .793
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1974-751984-85
Team Washington BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second 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 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
Purvis Short 78 39.5 28.0 2.0 3.1 5.1 3.0 1.5 0.3 3.1 3.3 10.5 22.8 .460 0.6 1.9 .313 6.4 7.9 .817
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1975-761985-86
Team Washington BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second 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 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
Purvis Short 64 37.9 25.5 2.0 3.2 5.1 3.7 1.4 0.3 2.9 3.6 9.9 20.5 .482 0.2 0.8 .306 5.5 6.3 .865
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1976-771986-87
Team Washington BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisWarriors 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 %
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
Purvis Short 34 27.9 18.3 1.6 2.4 4.0 2.5 1.3 0.2 2.0 3.0 7.1 14.7 .479 0.1 0.5 .235 4.0 4.7 .856
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
Purvis Short 10 25.3 14.6 1.2 2.1 3.3 2.7 1.2 0.2 2.1 3.4 5.7 12.3 .463 0.0 0.2 .000 3.2 3.6 .889

Season 10

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1977-781987-88
Team Washington BulletsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets 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 %
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
Purvis Short 81 24.1 14.3 0.9 1.9 2.7 2.0 0.7 0.2 1.5 2.4 5.9 12.2 .481 0.1 0.3 .238 2.5 3.0 .858
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
Purvis Short 4 17.8 5.5 1.0 1.3 2.3 0.3 0.3 0.0 1.0 2.0 1.8 6.5 .269 0.0 0.3 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000

Season 11

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1978-791988-89
Team Washington BulletsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsRockets 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 %
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
Purvis Short 65 17.8 7.4 1.0 1.8 2.8 1.6 0.7 0.2 1.1 1.8 3.0 7.4 .413 0.1 0.5 .273 1.2 1.4 .865
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
Purvis Short 4 9.3 4.8 1.5 0.8 2.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.8 2.0 5.3 .381 0.0 0.5 .000 0.8 1.3 .600

Season 12

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1979-801989-90
Team Washington BulletsNew Jersey Nets
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
Purvis Short 82 27.0 13.1 1.2 1.8 3.0 1.8 0.8 0.2 1.5 2.5 5.3 11.6 .455 0.1 0.4 .286 2.4 2.9 .835
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1980-81-
Team Washington Bullets-
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 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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
Season 1981-82-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Elvin Hayes Purvis Short
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
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Elvin Hayes ------- --- ----------
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------