Joel Embiid vs. Toni Kukoc Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Toni Kukoc and Joel Embiid, 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.

Joel Embiid played 9 years in the NBA, 4 less than Toni Kukoc, who played 13. Joel Embiid had the first of his seasons in 2016-17, while Toni Kukoc had his rookie season in 1993-94. 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
Joel Embiid 9 7 2016-17 to 2024-25
Toni Kukoc 13 9 1993-94 to 2005-06

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Rookie Season

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2016-171993-94
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 31 25.4 20.2 2.0 5.9 7.8 2.1 0.9 2.5 3.8 3.6 6.5 13.8 .466 1.2 3.2 .367 6.2 7.9 .783
difference:+44+1.3+9.3+0.7+3.2+3.8+1.3+0.2+2.1-1.6-2.0+2.3+4.1+.035+0.8+1.6+.096+4.1+5.1+.040
Toni Kukoc 75 24.1 10.9 1.3 2.7 4.0 3.4 1.1 0.4 2.2 1.6 4.2 9.7 .431 0.4 1.6 .271 2.1 2.8 .743
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid DNP------ --- ----------
Toni Kukoc 10 19.4 9.3 1.1 2.9 4.0 3.6 0.5 0.3 1.7 1.5 3.0 6.7 .448 0.8 1.9 .421 2.5 3.4 .735

Season 2

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2017-181994-95
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisBulls Lost East 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%
Joel Embiid 63 30.3 22.9 2.3 8.7 11.0 3.2 0.6 1.8 3.7 3.3 8.1 16.8 .483 1.0 3.4 .308 5.7 7.4 .769
difference:+18+1.6+7.2+0.4+5.2+5.6+1.4+0.7+1.6-1.7-1.3+2.1+4.9+.021+0.2+1.0+.005+2.8+3.5+.021
Toni Kukoc 81 31.9 15.7 1.9 3.5 5.4 4.6 1.3 0.2 2.0 2.0 6.0 11.9 .504 0.8 2.4 .313 2.9 3.9 .748
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 8 34.8 21.4 2.9 9.8 12.6 3.0 0.9 1.8 3.6 3.9 7.5 17.3 .435 1.0 3.6 .276 5.4 7.6 .705
difference:+2+2.4+7.6+0.9+5.0+5.8+2.7+0.1+1.6-1.7-1.6+2.2+6.2+.042+0.4+0.4+.162+3.6+5.0+.013
Toni Kukoc 10 37.2 13.8 2.0 4.8 6.8 5.7 1.0 0.2 1.9 2.3 5.3 11.1 .477 1.4 3.2 .438 1.8 2.6 .692

Season 3

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2018-191995-96
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement Sixth Man of the Year
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 64 33.7 27.5 2.5 11.1 13.6 3.7 0.7 1.9 3.5 3.3 9.1 18.7 .484 1.2 4.1 .300 8.2 10.1 .804
difference:+17+7.7+14.4+1.1+8.5+9.6+0.2+0.1+1.6-2.1-1.4+4.3+9.0+.006+0.1+1.4+.103+5.7+6.8+.032
Toni Kukoc 81 26.0 13.1 1.4 2.6 4.0 3.5 0.8 0.3 1.4 1.9 4.8 9.7 .490 1.1 2.7 .403 2.5 3.3 .772
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 11 30.4 20.2 1.9 8.5 10.5 3.4 0.7 2.3 3.6 3.1 6.2 14.5 .428 1.1 3.5 .308 6.7 8.2 .822
difference:+4+1.1+9.4+0.6+5.6+6.3+0.5+0.2+2.0-1.9-0.9+2.3+4.4+.037+0.2+1.0+.117+4.6+5.7+.016
Toni Kukoc 15 29.3 10.8 1.3 2.9 4.2 3.9 0.9 0.3 1.7 2.2 3.9 10.1 .391 0.9 4.5 .191 2.1 2.5 .838

Season 4

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2019-201996-97
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 51 29.5 23.0 2.8 8.9 11.6 3.0 0.9 1.3 3.1 3.4 7.5 15.7 .477 1.1 3.4 .331 6.9 8.5 .807
difference:+6+1.3+9.8+1.2+6.0+7.0+1.5+0.2+0.8-1.5-1.7+2.5+5.1+.006+0.2+0.8+4.5+5.4+.037
Toni Kukoc 57 28.2 13.2 1.6 2.9 4.6 4.5 1.1 0.5 1.6 1.7 5.0 10.6 .471 0.9 2.6 .331 2.4 3.1 .770
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 4 36.3 30.0 2.8 9.5 12.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 3.8 4.5 8.5 18.5 .459 1.0 4.0 .250 12.0 14.8 .814
difference:+15+14.0+22.1+2.1+7.3+9.5+1.5+0.8+1.1-2.9-2.9+6.1+11.9+.099+1.2+.108+9.8+11.7+.107
Toni Kukoc 19 22.3 7.9 0.7 2.2 2.8 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.9 1.6 2.4 6.6 .360 1.0 2.8 .358 2.2 3.1 .707

Season 5

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2020-211997-98
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 51 31.1 28.5 2.2 8.4 10.6 2.8 1.0 1.4 3.1 2.4 9.0 17.6 .513 1.1 3.0 .377 9.2 10.7 .859
difference:+23+0.9+15.2+0.6+5.6+6.2+1.4+0.9-1.0-0.4+3.8+6.2+.058+0.2+0.6+.015+7.1+7.7+.151
Toni Kukoc 74 30.2 13.3 1.6 2.8 4.4 4.2 1.0 0.5 2.1 2.0 5.2 11.4 .455 0.9 2.4 .362 2.1 3.0 .708
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 11 32.5 28.1 1.5 9.1 10.5 3.4 1.0 1.5 3.8 3.0 9.2 17.9 .513 1.5 3.7 .390 8.3 9.9 .835
difference:+10+2.2+15.0+0.4+6.4+6.6+0.5+0.2+1.0-2.5-0.3+4.2+7.5+.027+0.4+0.8+.013+6.4+6.9+.190
Toni Kukoc 21 30.3 13.1 1.1 2.7 3.9 2.9 1.2 0.5 1.3 2.7 5.0 10.4 .486 1.1 2.9 .377 1.9 3.0 .645

Season 6

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2021-221998-99
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 68 33.8 30.6 2.1 9.6 11.7 4.2 1.1 1.5 3.1 2.7 9.8 19.6 .499 1.4 3.7 .371 9.6 11.8 .814
difference:+24+3.8+11.8+0.6+4.0+4.7+1.1+1.2-0.3-0.8+2.6+2.6+.079+0.5+0.6+.086+6.0+6.9+.074
Toni Kukoc 44 37.6 18.8 1.5 5.6 7.0 5.3 1.1 0.3 2.8 1.9 7.2 17.0 .420 0.9 3.1 .285 3.6 4.9 .740
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 10 38.5 23.6 2.1 8.6 10.7 2.1 0.4 0.8 3.2 3.4 7.8 16.1 .484 0.7 3.3 .212 7.3 8.9 .820
Toni Kukoc DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2022-231999-00
Team Philadelphia 76ersChicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf Semis76ers Lost East 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%
Joel Embiid 66 34.6 33.1 1.7 8.4 10.2 4.2 1.0 1.7 3.4 3.1 11.0 20.1 .548 1.0 3.0 .330 10.0 11.7 .857
difference:+10+2.7+18.3+0.4+4.9+5.3+0.5+0.4+1.2-0.8-1.1+5.7+7.1+.140+0.2+.068+6.6+7.0+.132
Toni Kukoc 56 31.9 14.8 1.3 3.5 4.9 4.7 1.4 0.5 2.6 2.0 5.3 13.0 .408 0.8 3.0 .262 3.4 4.7 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 9 37.3 23.7 1.8 8.0 9.8 2.7 0.7 2.8 3.9 3.0 7.3 17.0 .431 0.6 3.1 .179 8.4 9.3 .905
difference:+1+11.5+14.4+1.1+5.0+6.1+1.0+0.3+2.5-2.4-0.4+3.7+7.7+.044+0.5+0.3+.145+7.4+7.6+.317
Toni Kukoc 10 25.8 9.3 0.7 3.0 3.7 1.7 1.0 0.3 1.5 2.6 3.6 9.3 .387 1.1 3.4 .324 1.0 1.7 .588

Season 8

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2023-242000-01
Team Philadelphia 76ersPhiladelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 39 33.6 34.7 2.4 8.6 11.0 5.6 1.2 1.7 3.8 2.9 11.5 21.8 .529 1.4 3.6 .388 10.2 11.6 .883
difference:+26+9.0+23.6+1.4+5.6+7.0+2.5+0.5+1.5-2.1-1.4+7.3+12.8+.056+0.3+1.2+.058+8.6+9.1+.252
Toni Kukoc 65 24.6 11.1 1.0 3.0 4.0 3.1 0.7 0.2 1.7 1.5 4.2 9.0 .473 1.1 2.4 .446 1.6 2.5 .631
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 6 41.3 33.0 3.2 7.7 10.8 5.7 1.2 1.5 4.2 3.3 9.8 22.2 .444 2.2 6.5 .333 11.2 13.0 .859
Toni Kukoc DNP------ --- ----------

Season 9

Joel Embiid Toni Kukoc
Season 2024-252001-02
Team Philadelphia 76ersAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Joel Embiid 19 30.2 23.8 1.9 6.3 8.2 4.5 0.7 0.9 3.3 2.2 7.4 16.6 .444 1.2 4.1 .299 7.8 8.9 .882
difference:+40+4.9+13.9+1.2+3.3+4.5+0.9+0.1+0.6-1.4-0.7+3.8+8.1+.025+0.3+1.2+.011+6.0+6.3+.170
Toni Kukoc 59 25.3 9.9 0.7 3.0 3.7 3.6 0.8 0.3 1.9 1.5 3.6 8.5 .419 0.9 2.9 .310 1.8 2.6 .712
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Joel Embiid nor Toni Kukoc played in the postseason in their season 9

Additional Years

* Toni Kukoc played 4 seasons more than Joel Embiid in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 10 to 13, from 2003 to 2006—Toni Kukoc played in 3 Playoffs.