Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Arvydas Sabonis Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Arvydas Sabonis and Hakeem Olajuwon, 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 / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

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.

Hakeem Olajuwon played 18 years in the NBA, 11 more than Arvydas Sabonis, who played 7. Hakeem Olajuwon had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, while Arvydas Sabonis had his rookie season in 1995-96. 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
Hakeem Olajuwon 18 15 1984-85 to 2001-02
Arvydas Sabonis 7 7 1995-96 to 2002-03

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7

Rookie Season
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1984-851995-96
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers 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%
Hakeem Olajuwon 82 35.5 20.6 5.4 6.5 11.9 1.4 1.2 2.7 2.9 4.2 8.3 15.3 .538 0.0 0.0 - 4.1 6.7 .613
difference:+9+11.7+6.1+3.4+0.5+3.8+0.4+0.3+1.6-0.8-1.3+2.9+5.4+.007+0.5+1.4+0.9+2.5+.144
Arvydas Sabonis 73 23.8 14.5 2.0 6.0 8.1 1.8 0.9 1.1 2.1 2.9 5.4 9.9 .545 0.5 1.4 .375 3.2 4.2 .757
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 5 37.4 21.2 6.6 6.4 13.0 1.4 1.4 2.6 2.2 4.4 8.4 17.6 .477 0.0 0.0 - 4.4 9.2 .478
difference:+2.0+2.4+4.2+1.4+2.8+0.4+0.6+2.0-0.2-1.0+1.4+1.4+.045+1.0+1.8+4.2+2.8+.239
Arvydas Sabonis 5 35.4 23.6 2.4 7.8 10.2 1.8 0.8 0.6 2.0 3.4 7.0 16.2 .432 1.0 1.8 .556 8.6 12.0 .717

Season 2
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1985-861996-97
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost NBA FinalsTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 68 36.3 23.5 4.9 6.6 11.5 2.0 2.0 3.4 2.9 4.0 9.2 17.5 .526 0.0 0.0 - 5.1 7.9 .645
difference:+1+10.8+10.1+3.2+0.3+3.6+0.1+1.1+2.2-0.7-1.1+4.4+8.0+.028+0.7+1.9+1.9+3.7+.132
Arvydas Sabonis 69 25.5 13.4 1.7 6.3 7.9 2.1 0.9 1.2 2.2 2.9 4.8 9.5 .498 0.7 1.9 .371 3.2 4.2 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 20 38.3 26.9 5.1 6.8 11.8 2.0 2.0 3.5 2.2 4.4 10.3 19.4 .530 0.0 0.1 .000 6.4 10.0 .638
difference:+16+11.5+15.6+3.1+2.3+5.3+0.3+1.2+2.7-0.1-0.4+5.8+8.9+.101+0.5+1.9+.250+4.6+8.0+.237
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 11.3 2.0 4.5 6.5 2.3 0.8 0.8 2.3 4.8 4.5 10.5 .429 0.5 2.0 .250 1.8 2.0 .875

Season 3
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1986-871997-98
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 75 36.8 23.4 4.2 7.2 11.4 2.9 1.9 3.4 3.0 3.9 9.0 17.8 .508 0.0 0.1 .200 5.3 7.6 .702
difference:+2+4.8+7.4+2.2+0.7+1.4+0.1+1.0+2.3-0.4-0.2+3.4+6.5+.015+0.4+1.5+.061+0.9+2.1+.096
Arvydas Sabonis 73 32.0 16.0 2.0 7.9 10.0 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.6 3.7 5.6 11.3 .493 0.4 1.6 .261 4.4 5.5 .798
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 10 38.9 29.2 3.9 7.4 11.3 2.5 1.3 4.3 3.6 4.4 11.0 17.9 .615 0.0 0.1 .000 7.2 9.7 .742
difference:+6+12.1+16.9+2.1+1.4+3.5+1.0+0.5+3.5-1.1-0.4+6.5+7.9+.165+0.3+0.4+.500+4.2+6.2+.115
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 12.3 1.8 6.0 7.8 1.5 1.8 0.8 2.5 4.8 4.5 10.0 .450 0.3 0.5 .500 3.0 3.5 .857

Season 4
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1987-881998-99
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 79 35.8 22.8 3.8 8.3 12.1 2.1 2.1 2.7 3.1 4.1 9.0 17.5 .514 0.0 0.1 .000 4.8 6.9 .695
difference:+29+8.8+10.7+2.0+2.2+4.2+0.3+1.4+1.4-1.4-1.2+4.4+7.9+.029+0.1+0.4+.292+2.1+3.4+.076
Arvydas Sabonis 50 27.0 12.1 1.8 6.1 7.9 2.4 0.7 1.3 1.7 2.9 4.6 9.6 .485 0.1 0.5 .292 2.7 3.5 .771
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 4 40.5 37.5 5.0 11.8 16.8 1.8 2.3 2.8 2.3 3.5 14.0 24.5 .571 0.0 0.3 .000 9.5 10.8 .884
difference:+9+10.4+27.5+4.1+4.0+8.0+0.4+1.1+1.6-0.8-0.8+10.5+15.8+.173+0.1+0.1+.200+6.5+7.5+.023
Arvydas Sabonis 13 30.1 10.0 0.9 7.8 8.8 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 2.7 3.5 8.7 .398 0.1 0.4 .200 3.0 3.3 .907

Season 5
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1988-891999-00
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 82 36.9 24.8 4.1 9.4 13.5 1.8 2.6 3.4 3.4 4.0 9.6 19.0 .508 0.0 0.1 .000 5.5 8.0 .696
difference:+16+11.3+13.0+2.6+3.1+5.7+1.9+2.2-1.9-1.2+5.0+9.9+.003+0.1+0.2+.368+3.0+5.0+.147
Arvydas Sabonis 66 25.6 11.8 1.5 6.3 7.8 1.8 0.7 1.2 1.5 2.8 4.6 9.1 .505 0.1 0.3 .368 2.5 3.0 .843
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 4 40.5 25.3 3.5 9.5 13.0 3.0 2.5 2.8 2.5 4.3 10.5 20.3 .519 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 6.3 .680
difference:+12+9.7+14.0+2.3+4.0+6.3+1.1+1.6+2.0-0.9-0.6+6.2+10.9+.066+0.4+1.3+1.9+3.2+.116
Arvydas Sabonis 16 30.8 11.3 1.2 5.5 6.7 1.9 0.9 0.8 1.6 3.7 4.3 9.4 .453 0.4 1.3 .286 2.4 3.1 .796

Season 6
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1989-902000-01
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 82 38.1 24.3 3.6 10.4 14.0 2.9 2.1 4.6 3.9 3.8 9.8 19.6 .501 0.0 0.1 .167 4.7 6.5 .713
difference:+21+16.8+14.2+2.8+5.8+8.6+1.4+1.4+3.6-2.5-1.6+5.8+11.1+.022+0.1+.100+2.7+3.9+.063
Arvydas Sabonis 61 21.3 10.1 0.8 4.6 5.4 1.5 0.7 1.0 1.4 2.2 4.0 8.5 .479 0.0 0.2 .067 2.0 2.6 .776
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 4 40.3 18.5 3.8 7.8 11.5 2.0 2.5 5.8 2.8 4.8 7.8 17.5 .443 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 4.3 .706
difference:+1+5.3+7.2+1.1+2.1+3.2+0.7+2.2+3.5-2.1-0.8+3.1+7.8+.040+0.7+1.0+1.6+.044
Arvydas Sabonis 3 35.0 11.3 2.7 5.7 8.3 2.7 0.3 2.3 0.7 4.0 4.7 9.7 .483 0.0 0.7 .000 2.0 2.7 .750

Note: Arvydas Sabonis didn't play in 2001-02.

Season 7
Hakeem Olajuwon Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1990-912002-03
Team Houston RocketsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 56 36.8 21.2 3.9 9.8 13.8 2.3 2.2 3.9 3.1 3.9 8.7 17.1 .508 0.0 0.1 .000 3.8 4.9 .769
difference:+22+21.3+15.1+2.8+6.6+9.5+0.5+1.4+3.3-2.1-2.1+6.5+12.5+.032+.500+2.1+2.8+.018
Arvydas Sabonis 78 15.5 6.1 1.1 3.2 4.3 1.8 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.8 2.2 4.6 .476 0.0 0.1 .500 1.7 2.1 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Hakeem Olajuwon 3 43.0 22.0 4.0 10.7 14.7 2.0 1.3 2.7 2.7 3.7 8.7 15.0 .578 0.0 0.3 .000 4.7 5.7 .824
difference:+3+28.5+12.0+3.0+7.7+10.7+1.2+0.6+2.0-1.7-1.4+4.7+9.0+.089+0.3+2.7+3.2+.024
Arvydas Sabonis 6 14.5 10.0 1.0 3.0 4.0 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.0 2.3 4.0 6.0 .667 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.5 .800

Additional Years

* Hakeem Olajuwon played 11 seasons more than Arvydas Sabonis in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 8 to 18, from 1992 to 2002—Hakeem Olajuwon played in 8 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships.

In those 11 extra years over Arvydas Sabonis, Hakeem Olajuwon got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 2 Finals MVP
Achievement 1 Season MVP
Achievement 3 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 1 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 2 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 2 All-Defensive First Team
Achievement 2 All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement 2 Defensive Player of the Year
Achievement 1 Blocks Leader
Achievement 6 All-Star Game
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