Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Jalen Brunson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jalen Brunson 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 / 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.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 years in the NBA, 12 more than Jalen Brunson, who played 8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the first of his seasons in 1969-70, while Jalen Brunson had his rookie season in 2018-19. 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
Jalen Brunson 8 5 2018-19 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1969-702018-19
Team Milwaukee BucksDallas Mavericks
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:+9+21.3+19.5+12.2+0.9-1.8+7.8+14.4+.051+4.7+7.5+.072
Jalen Brunson 73 21.8 9.3 0.3 2.0 2.3 3.2 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.7 3.6 7.7 .467 0.9 2.5 .348 1.2 1.6 .725
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
Jalen Brunson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1970-712019-20
Team Milwaukee BucksDallas Mavericks
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 ChampionDid Not Play
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:+25+22.2+23.5+13.6-1.9+9.8+15.7+.111+4.6+7.0+.123
Jalen Brunson 57 17.9 8.2 0.4 2.0 2.4 3.3 0.4 0.1 1.2 1.3 3.2 6.8 .466 0.8 2.1 .358 1.1 1.3 .813
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
Jalen Brunson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1971-722020-21
Team Milwaukee BucksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf FinalsMavericks 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%
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:+13+19.2+22.2+13.2+1.1-1.3+9.5+15.7+.051+4.4+6.8+.106
Jalen Brunson 68 25.0 12.6 0.4 3.0 3.4 3.5 0.5 0.0 1.2 1.6 4.8 9.2 .523 1.2 2.9 .405 1.8 2.2 .795
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:+4+30.1+20.7+15.6+3.7-2.3+9.7+22.6+.018+2.1+3.0+.065
Jalen Brunson 7 16.3 8.0 0.9 1.7 2.6 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.9 2.9 6.3 .455 0.9 1.9 .462 1.4 1.9 .769

Season 4
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1972-732021-22
Team Milwaukee BucksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf SemisMavericks 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%
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:+3+10.9+13.9+12.2+0.2-0.8+6.5+10.5+.052+2.0+3.4+.127
Jalen Brunson 79 31.9 16.3 0.5 3.4 3.9 4.8 0.8 0.0 1.6 1.9 6.4 12.8 .502 1.2 3.2 .373 2.3 2.7 .840
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:+12+11.1+1.2+11.6+0.9-2.2+1.7+5.7+.038+0.8+0.8+.257
Jalen Brunson 18 34.9 21.6 0.8 3.8 4.6 3.7 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.1 8.1 17.3 .466 1.4 4.2 .347 4.0 5.0 .800

Season 5
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1973-742022-23
Team Milwaukee BucksNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost NBA FinalsKnicks Lost East Conf Semis
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+8.8+3.0+2.9+8.0+11.0+1.4+0.5+3.3-0.7+3.1+4.1+.048+1.2+0.6+.127
Jalen Brunson 68 35.0 24.0 0.6 3.0 3.5 6.2 0.9 0.2 2.1 2.2 8.6 17.6 .491 2.0 4.7 .416 4.8 5.8 .829
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:+5+7.1+4.4+3.4+7.5+10.9+0.7+0.2+2.3-0.2+4.1+4.2+.083+1.4+0.5+.176
Jalen Brunson 11 40.3 27.8 0.8 4.1 4.9 5.6 1.5 0.1 2.1 2.4 9.9 20.9 .474 2.4 7.3 .325 5.6 6.2 .912

Season 6
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1974-752023-24
Team Milwaukee BucksNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayKnicks Lost East Conf 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:+12+6.9+1.3+2.4+7.9+10.4+2.6+0.1+3.1-1.3+2.2+3.0+.034+0.5+0.1+.084
Jalen Brunson 77 35.4 28.7 0.6 3.1 3.6 6.7 0.9 0.2 2.4 1.9 10.3 21.4 .479 2.7 6.8 .401 5.5 6.5 .847
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar DNP------ --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 13 39.8 32.4 0.6 2.7 3.3 7.5 0.8 0.2 2.7 2.0 11.6 26.2 .444 2.0 6.5 .310 7.2 9.2 .775

Season 7
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1975-762024-25
Team Los Angeles LakersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement Clutch Player of the Year
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayKnicks Lost East Conf Finals
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:+17+5.8+1.7+2.9+11.0+14.0+2.3+0.6+4.0-1.5+2.1+2.6+.041+0.2+0.9+.118
Jalen Brunson 65 35.4 26.0 0.4 2.5 2.9 7.3 0.9 0.1 2.5 2.1 9.0 18.5 .488 2.3 6.1 .383 5.7 6.9 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar DNP------ --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 18 37.8 29.4 0.7 2.8 3.4 7.0 0.4 0.3 3.1 3.3 10.1 21.8 .461 2.7 7.4 .358 6.7 7.8 .851

Season 8
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jalen Brunson
Season 1976-772025-26
Team Los Angeles LakersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement Cup MVP
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
Others -NBA Cup NBA Cup Champion
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:+58+1.8+2.5+2.6+7.3+10.0+2.5+0.4+3.1-0.8+0.6+2.4+.095+0.9+.133
Jalen Brunson 24 35.0 28.7 0.6 2.7 3.3 6.4 0.8 0.1 2.3 2.4 10.2 21.1 .484 2.8 7.4 .376 5.5 6.5 .834
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
Jalen Brunson DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 12 seasons more than Jalen Brunson in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 9 to 20, from 1978 to 1989—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in 12 Playoffs and won 5 NBA Championships.

In those 12 extra years over Jalen Brunson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 Finals MVP
Achievement 1 Season MVP
Achievement 4 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 4 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 3 All-Defensive First Team
Achievement 2 All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement 2 Blocks Leader
Achievement 11 All-Star Game
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