Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. John Starks Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of John Starks 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.

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, 7 more than John Starks, who played 13. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the first of his seasons in 1969-70, while John Starks had his rookie season in 1988-89. 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.

Rookie Season
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1969-70	1988-89
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	Rookie of the Year	-
	All-Rookie First Team	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Bucks Lost East Div Finals	Did Not Play

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Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+46	+34.3	+24.7			+13.4	+3.3				-2.5	+10.0	+18.6	+.110				+5.0	+7.7	+.001
John Starks	36	8.8	4.1	0.4	0.7	1.1	0.8	0.6	0.1	1.1	1.0	1.4	3.5	.408	0.3	0.7	.385	0.9	1.4	.654
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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
John Starks	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Note: John Starks didn't play in 1989-90.

Season 2
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1970-71	1990-91
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	Finals MVP	-
	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	Scoring Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Knicks Lost East Conf 1st Rd

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2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+21	+20.9	+24.1			+13.9					-1.0	+10.0	+15.8	+.138				+4.4	+6.6	+.062
John Starks	61	19.2	7.6	0.5	1.7	2.1	3.3	1.0	0.3	1.2	2.2	3.0	6.7	.439	0.4	1.5	.290	1.3	1.7	.752
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+11	+31.9	+24.6			+16.0	+0.5				-1.9	+10.2	+19.4	+.115				+4.2	+6.5	+.327
John Starks	3	9.3	2.0	0.3	0.7	1.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	1.3	0.7	1.7	.400	0.0	0.0	-	0.7	0.7	1.000

Season 3
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1971-72	1991-92
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	Scoring Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Bucks Lost West Conf Finals	Knicks Lost East Conf Semis

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3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+1	+18.4	+20.9			+14.3	+1.2				-0.1	+9.4	+13.9	+.125				+3.3	+5.3	+.089
John Starks	82	25.8	13.9	0.5	1.8	2.3	3.4	1.3	0.2	1.8	2.8	4.9	11.0	.449	1.1	3.3	.348	2.9	3.7	.778
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+1	+21.8	+16.6			+15.7	+1.9				-0.6	+8.8	+18.6	+.063					+0.6	+.104
John Starks	12	24.6	12.1	0.6	1.9	2.5	3.2	1.4	0.0	1.8	3.8	3.8	10.3	.374	0.9	3.8	.239	3.5	4.3	.808

Season 4
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1972-73	1992-93
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-Defensive Second Team
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Bucks Lost West Conf Semis	Knicks Lost East Conf Finals

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4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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	+11.8	+12.7			+13.5	+0.1				-0.2	+6.5	+8.3	+.126				+1.0	+2.0	+.082
John Starks	80	31.0	17.5	0.7	1.9	2.6	5.1	1.1	0.2	2.2	2.9	6.4	15.0	.428	1.4	4.2	.321	3.3	4.1	.795
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+9	+7.7	+6.3			+12.7	+3.6				-0.5	+3.9	+9.7	+.012				+0.3	+1.8	+.174
John Starks	15	38.3	16.5	0.3	3.2	3.5	6.4	1.0	0.2	3.7	3.8	5.9	13.3	.440	1.9	5.0	.373	2.9	4.0	.717

Season 5
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1973-74	1993-94
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Bucks Lost NBA Finals	Knicks Lost NBA Finals

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5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+22	+8.9	+8.0	+2.9	+8.5	+11.4	+1.1	+0.2	+3.4		-0.3	+4.8	+5.1	+.119				+0.4	+1.0	+.052
John Starks	59	34.9	19.0	0.6	2.5	3.1	5.9	1.6	0.1	3.1	3.2	6.9	16.6	.420	1.9	5.7	.335	3.2	4.2	.754
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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	+13.8	+17.6	+3.8	+9.6	+13.5	+0.3	+0.1	+2.3		-0.8	+9.6	+13.5	+.176				+0.3	+0.7	+.034
John Starks	25	33.6	14.6	0.4	2.0	2.3	4.6	1.4	0.1	2.3	3.4	4.4	11.6	.381	1.9	5.3	.356	3.9	5.0	.770

Season 6
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1974-75	1994-95
Team	Milwaukee Bucks	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Blocks Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Knicks Lost East Conf Semis

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6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+15	+8.2	+14.7	+2.6	+8.7	+11.3	+1.0	+0.2	+3.2			+7.3	+11.1	+.118				+2.9	+3.7	+.026
John Starks	80	34.1	15.3	0.4	2.3	2.7	5.1	1.2	0.1	2.0	3.2	5.2	13.3	.395	2.7	7.6	.355	2.1	2.9	.737
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
John Starks	11	34.5	15.6	0.2	2.1	2.3	5.2	1.2	0.1	2.4	3.6	5.3	11.7	.450	2.7	6.6	.411	2.4	3.8	.619

Season 7
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1975-76	1995-96
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	-
	Blocks Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Knicks Lost East Conf Semis

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7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+1	+10.4	+15.1	+2.9	+11.0	+14.0	+1.1	+0.2	+4.0		-0.8	+6.5	+10.7	+.086				+3.9	+5.7	+.050
John Starks	81	30.8	12.6	0.4	2.5	2.9	3.9	1.3	0.1	1.9	2.8	4.6	10.4	.443	1.8	4.9	.361	1.6	2.1	.753
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
John Starks	8	39.3	16.0	0.4	3.3	3.6	4.1	1.6	0.1	3.1	3.3	4.9	10.9	.448	2.6	5.6	.467	3.6	4.9	.744

Season 8
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1976-77	1996-97
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	-	Sixth Man of the Year
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf Finals	Knicks Lost East Conf Semis

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8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+5	+10.3	+12.4	+2.7	+7.8	+10.6	+1.1		+3.1		-0.7	+6.0	+7.6	+.148				+2.4	+3.6	+.068
John Starks	77	26.5	13.8	0.5	2.2	2.7	2.8	1.2	0.1	2.1	2.5	4.8	11.1	.431	1.9	5.3	.369	2.2	2.9	.769
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+2	+14.2	+20.6	+3.8	+10.4	+14.3	+1.3	+0.6	+3.5		-1.0	+8.5	+11.0	+.163				+5.1	+7.5	+.081
John Starks	9	28.3	14.0	0.8	2.7	3.4	2.8	1.1	0.0	2.2	2.8	4.9	11.0	.444	1.4	4.6	.317	2.8	3.4	.806

Season 9
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1977-78	1997-98
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	New York Knicks
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Knicks Lost East Conf Semis

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9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+20	+9.8	+12.9	+2.4	+7.7	+10.1	+1.6	+0.7	+2.9	-1.7	-0.4	+6.2	+7.9	+.157				+2.1	+2.7	+.004
John Starks	82	26.7	12.9	0.6	2.2	2.8	2.7	1.0	0.1	1.7	2.5	4.5	11.5	.393	1.6	4.9	.327	2.3	2.9	.787
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+7	+13.3	+10.6	+4.3	+5.4	+9.7	+1.4	+0.9	+3.9	-3.6	-1.2	+6.8	+11.8	+.049				+0.4	+0.6	+.319
John Starks	10	31.4	16.4	0.4	3.6	4.0	2.3	1.6	0.1	1.1	3.5	5.9	12.5	.472	2.5	5.9	.424	2.1	2.4	.875

Season 10
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1978-79	1998-99
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Blocks Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf Semis	Did Not Play

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10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+30	+5.8	+10.0	+1.9	+7.6	+9.5	+0.7	+0.4	+3.9	-1.8	-0.2	+4.3	+2.2	+.207				+2.9	+3.9	+.004
John Starks	50	33.7	13.8	0.7	2.6	3.3	4.7	1.4	0.1	1.7	2.7	5.4	14.6	.370	1.6	5.4	.290	1.5	2.0	.740
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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
John Starks	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 11
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1979-80	1999-00
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	-
	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Blocks Leader	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Did Not Play

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11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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:	+45	+6.1	+10.9	+2.0	+6.0	+8.1	+0.4	+0.1	+3.3	-1.8	-0.2	+4.7	+2.3	+.229	+1.6	+4.6		+3.0	+4.2	+.082
John Starks	37	32.2	13.9	0.3	2.5	2.7	4.9	1.1	0.1	1.8	2.8	5.5	14.6	.375	1.6	4.6	.345	1.4	1.6	.847
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	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
John Starks	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 12
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1980-81	2000-01
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Utah Jazz
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Jazz Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	80	37.2	26.2	2.5	7.8	10.3	3.4	0.7	2.9	3.1	3.1	10.5	18.2	.574	0.0	0.0	-	5.3	6.9	.766
difference:	+5	+8.9	+16.9	+2.1	+6.1	+8.2	+1.0	+0.3	+2.8	-1.8	-0.2	+6.9	+9.1	+.176	+0.9	+2.4		+4.1	+5.4	+.036
John Starks	75	28.3	9.3	0.4	1.7	2.1	2.4	1.0	0.1	1.3	2.9	3.6	9.1	.398	0.9	2.4	.352	1.2	1.5	.802
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	3	44.7	26.7	4.3	12.3	16.7	4.0	1.0	2.7	3.7	4.7	10.0	21.7	.462	0.0	0.0	-	6.7	9.3	.714
difference:		+32.7	+23.0	+4.3	+11.3	+15.7	+3.7	+0.7	+2.4	-3.0	-3.0	+8.7	+17.7	+.129	+0.3	+1.3		+6.0	+8.6	+.286
John Starks	3	12.0	3.7	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.7	1.7	1.3	4.0	.333	0.3	1.3	.250	0.7	0.7	1.000

Season 13
	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	John Starks
Season	1981-82	2001-02
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Utah Jazz
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Did Not Play

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13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	76	35.2	23.9	2.3	6.4	8.7	3.0	0.8	2.7	3.0	2.9	9.9	17.1	.579	0.0	0.0	-	4.1	5.8	.706
difference:	+10	+21.1	+19.5	+2.1	+5.6	+7.7	+1.9	+0.3	+2.7	-2.2	-1.0	+8.2	+12.4	+.211	+0.4	+1.4		+3.6	+5.2	+.099
John Starks	66	14.1	4.4	0.2	0.8	1.0	1.1	0.5	0.0	0.8	1.9	1.7	4.7	.368	0.4	1.4	.305	0.5	0.6	.805
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	14	35.2	20.4	2.4	6.1	8.5	3.6	1.0	3.2	2.9	3.2	8.2	15.8	.520	0.0	0.0	-	3.9	6.2	.632
John Starks	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Additional Years
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 7 seasons more than John Starks in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 14 to 20, from 1983 to 1989—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in 7 Playoffs and won 3 NBA Championships. In those 7 extra years over John Starks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got these achievements:
Honors & Awards	1 Finals MVP 2 All-NBA First Team 2 All-NBA Second Team 1 All-Defensive Second Team 7 All-Star Game