Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Bill Sharman Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Sharman and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 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.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 years in the NBA, 9 more than Bill Sharman, who played 11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the first of his seasons in 1969-70, while Bill Sharman had his rookie season in 1950-51. 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
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20 18 1969-70 to 1988-89
Bill Sharman 11 10 1950-51 to 1960-61

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11

Rookie Season
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1969-701950-51
Team Milwaukee BucksWashington Capitols
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 43.1 28.8 - - 14.5 4.1 - - - 3.5 11.4 22.1 .518 - - - 5.9 9.1 .653
difference:+51+16.6+11.0+2.8-0.7+6.9+9.8+.148+2.8+5.6+.236
Bill Sharman 31 - 12.2 - - 3.5 1.3 - - - 2.8 4.5 12.3 .370 - - - 3.1 3.5 .889
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 43.5 35.2 - - 16.8 4.1 - - - 2.5 13.9 24.5 .567 - - - 7.4 10.1 .733
Bill Sharman DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1970-711951-52
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCeltics Lost East Div 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%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 40.1 31.7 - - 16.0 3.3 - - - 3.2 13.0 22.5 .577 - - - 5.7 8.3 .690
difference:+19+18.1+21.0+12.5+0.9-0.3+9.1+12.5+.188+2.8+4.9+.169
Bill Sharman 63 22.0 10.7 - - 3.5 2.4 - - - 2.9 3.9 10.0 .389 - - - 2.9 3.4 .859
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 41.2 26.6 - - 17.0 2.5 - - - 3.2 10.9 21.1 .515 - - - 4.9 7.2 .673
difference:+13+14.2+11.6+14.0+4.5-0.8+3.9+9.1+.068+3.9+6.2+.327
Bill Sharman 1 27.0 15.0 - - 3.0 7.0 - - - 4.0 7.0 12.0 .583 - - - 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1971-721952-53
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf FinalsCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 81 44.2 34.8 - - 16.6 4.6 - - - 2.9 14.3 24.9 .574 - - - 6.2 9.0 .689
difference:+10+11.3+18.6+12.5+1.9-0.5+8.6+11.9+.138+1.4+3.4+.161
Bill Sharman 71 32.9 16.2 - - 4.1 2.7 - - - 3.4 5.7 13.0 .436 - - - 4.8 5.6 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 46.4 28.7 - - 18.2 5.1 - - - 3.2 12.6 28.9 .437 - - - 3.5 4.9 .704
difference:+5+12.9+17.0+15.7+2.6-1.1+9.3+18.9+.104+1.5+0.4+.234
Bill Sharman 6 33.5 11.7 - - 2.5 2.5 - - - 4.3 3.3 10.0 .333 - - - 5.0 5.3 .938

Season 4
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1972-731953-54
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Div 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%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 76 42.8 30.2 - - 16.1 5.0 - - - 2.7 12.9 23.3 .554 - - - 4.3 6.1 .713
difference:+4+8.5+14.2+12.6+1.8-0.2+7.2+10.6+.104+0.3+0.7+.131
Bill Sharman 72 34.3 16.0 - - 3.5 3.2 - - - 2.9 5.7 12.7 .450 - - - 4.6 5.4 .844
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6 46.0 22.8 - - 16.2 2.8 - - - 4.3 9.8 23.0 .428 - - - 3.2 5.8 .543
difference:+11.7+4.0+12.0+1.1-0.5+4.0+9.5+.004+4.0+2.5+.317
Bill Sharman 6 34.3 18.8 - - 4.2 1.7 - - - 4.8 5.8 13.5 .432 - - - 7.2 8.3 .860

Season 5
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1973-741954-55
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Bucks Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost East Div 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%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 81 43.8 27.0 3.5 11.0 14.5 4.8 1.4 3.5 - 2.9 11.7 21.7 .539 - - - 3.6 5.2 .702
difference:+13+7.7+8.6+10.1+0.7-0.2+5.0+6.1+.112+1.5+0.5+.195
Bill Sharman 68 36.1 18.4 - - 4.4 4.1 - - - 3.1 6.7 15.6 .427 - - - 5.1 5.7 .897
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 47.4 32.2 4.2 11.6 15.8 4.9 1.3 2.4 - 2.6 14.0 25.1 .557 - - - 4.2 5.7 .736
difference:+9+6.0+11.5+10.4+0.5-0.8+6.1+9.4+.057+0.8+0.3+.185
Bill Sharman 7 41.4 20.7 - - 5.4 5.4 - - - 3.4 7.9 15.7 .500 - - - 5.0 5.4 .921

Season 6
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1974-751955-56
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Div Semis
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 65 42.3 30.0 3.0 11.0 14.0 4.1 1.0 3.3 - 3.2 12.5 24.4 .513 - - - 5.0 6.6 .763
difference:+7+4.8+10.1+10.4+0.6-0.5+5.0+7.3+.075+0.9+.104
Bill Sharman 72 37.5 19.9 - - 3.6 4.7 - - - 2.7 7.5 17.1 .438 - - - 5.0 5.7 .867
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar DNP------ --- ----------
Bill Sharman 3 39.7 17.3 - - 2.3 4.0 - - - 2.3 6.0 15.3 .391 - - - 5.3 5.7 .941

Season 7
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1975-761956-57
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 41.2 27.7 3.3 13.5 16.9 5.0 1.5 4.1 - 3.6 11.1 21.1 .529 - - - 5.5 7.8 .703
difference:+15+5.3+6.6+12.6+1.5-0.8+3.4+2.6+.113+0.2+1.5+.202
Bill Sharman 67 35.9 21.1 - - 4.3 3.5 - - - 2.8 7.7 18.5 .416 - - - 5.7 6.3 .905
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar DNP------ --- ----------
Bill Sharman 10 37.7 21.1 - - 3.5 2.9 - - - 2.3 7.5 19.7 .381 - - - 6.1 6.4 .953

Season 8
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1976-771957-58
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 36.8 26.2 3.2 10.0 13.3 3.9 1.2 3.2 - 3.2 10.8 18.7 .579 - - - 4.6 6.5 .701
difference:+19+1.7+3.9+8.6+1.2-0.7+2.1+1.9+.155+0.2+1.1+.192
Bill Sharman 63 35.1 22.3 - - 4.7 2.7 - - - 2.5 8.7 20.6 .424 - - - 4.8 5.4 .893
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 42.5 34.6 4.6 13.1 17.7 4.1 1.7 3.5 - 3.8 13.4 22.0 .607 - - - 7.9 10.9 .725
difference:+5.6+13.5+12.8+1.8-1.3+5.2+1.9+.200+3.2+5.8+.204
Bill Sharman 11 36.9 21.1 - - 4.9 2.3 - - - 2.5 8.2 20.1 .407 - - - 4.7 5.1 .929

Season 9
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1977-781958-59
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 62 36.5 25.8 3.0 9.9 12.9 4.3 1.7 3.0 3.4 2.9 10.7 19.4 .550 - - - 4.4 5.6 .783
difference:+10+3.4+5.4+8.8+1.8-0.5+2.9+0.3+.142+0.4+0.5+.149
Bill Sharman 72 33.1 20.4 - - 4.1 2.5 - - - 2.4 7.8 19.1 .408 - - - 4.8 5.1 .932
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3 44.7 27.0 4.7 9.0 13.7 3.7 0.7 4.0 4.7 4.7 12.7 24.3 .521 - - - 1.7 3.0 .556
difference:+8+15.4+6.9+10.4+1.2-1.5+5.2+6.8+.096+3.5+2.4+.410
Bill Sharman 11 29.3 20.1 - - 3.3 2.5 - - - 3.2 7.5 17.5 .425 - - - 5.2 5.4 .966

Season 10
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1978-791959-60
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 80 39.5 23.8 2.6 10.2 12.8 5.4 1.0 4.0 3.5 2.9 9.7 16.8 .577 - - - 4.4 5.9 .736
difference:+9+12.5+4.5+9.1+3.4-0.7+1.8+0.5+.121+0.9+1.8+.130
Bill Sharman 71 27.0 19.3 - - 3.7 2.0 - - - 2.2 7.9 17.3 .456 - - - 3.5 4.1 .866
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8 45.9 28.5 2.3 10.4 12.6 4.8 1.0 4.1 3.6 3.3 11.0 19.0 .579 - - - 6.5 7.8 .839
difference:+5+17.9+11.7+9.1+3.3-1.6+4.2+2.9+.158+3.2+3.7+.028
Bill Sharman 13 28.0 16.8 - - 3.5 1.5 - - - 1.7 6.8 16.1 .421 - - - 3.3 4.1 .811

Season 11
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Sharman
Season 1979-801960-61
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 38.3 24.8 2.3 8.5 10.8 4.5 1.0 3.4 3.6 2.6 10.2 16.9 .604 0.0 0.0 - 4.4 5.8 .765
difference:+21+13.1+8.8+7.1+2.1-0.5+3.9+2.0+.182+1.0+2.1+.156
Bill Sharman 61 25.2 16.0 - - 3.7 2.4 - - - 2.1 6.3 14.9 .422 - - - 3.4 3.7 .921
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 41.2 31.9 3.4 8.7 12.1 3.1 1.1 3.9 3.7 3.4 13.2 23.1 .572 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 7.0 .790
difference:+5+15.1+15.1+9.4+1.4-1.2+6.4+9.8+.061+2.3+3.4+.099
Bill Sharman 10 26.1 16.8 - - 2.7 1.7 - - - 2.2 6.8 13.3 .511 - - - 3.2 3.6 .889

Additional Years

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 9 seasons more than Bill Sharman in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 12 to 20, from 1981 to 1989—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in 9 Playoffs and won 4 NBA Championships.

In those 9 extra years over Bill Sharman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 Finals MVP
Achievement 3 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 2 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 1 All-Defensive First Team
Achievement 1 All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement 9 All-Star Game
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