Karl Malone vs. Rik Smits Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Rik Smits and Karl Malone, 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 / 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.

Karl Malone played 19 years in the NBA, 7 more than Rik Smits, who played 12. Karl Malone had the first of his seasons in 1985-86, while Rik Smits 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 achivements, 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
Karl Malone 19 19 1985-86 to 2003-04
Rik Smits 12 10 1988-89 to 1999-00

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19

Rookie Season

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1985-861988-89
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 30.6 14.9 2.1 6.7 8.9 2.9 1.3 0.5 3.4 3.6 6.2 12.5 .496 0.0 0.0 .000 2.4 5.0 .481
Rik Smits 82 24.9 11.7 2.3 3.8 6.1 0.9 0.5 1.8 1.6 3.8 4.7 9.1 .517 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 3.1 .722
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 4 36.0 21.8 1.5 6.0 7.5 1.0 2.0 0.0 1.5 4.5 9.5 18.0 .528 0.0 0.0 - 2.8 6.5 .423
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1986-871989-90
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdPacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 34.8 21.7 3.4 7.0 10.4 1.9 1.3 0.7 2.9 3.9 8.9 17.3 .512 0.0 0.1 .000 3.9 6.6 .598
Rik Smits 82 29.3 15.5 1.6 4.6 6.2 1.7 0.5 2.1 1.7 4.0 6.3 11.8 .533 0.0 0.0 .000 2.9 3.6 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.0 20.0 3.0 6.6 9.6 1.2 2.2 0.8 3.4 4.0 7.4 17.6 .420 0.0 0.0 - 5.2 7.2 .722
Rik Smits 3 32.0 12.3 1.3 4.0 5.3 1.0 0.7 1.3 1.7 4.0 4.7 9.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.7 .818

Season 3

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1987-881990-91
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf SemisPacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 39.0 27.7 3.4 8.6 12.0 2.4 1.4 0.6 4.0 3.6 10.5 20.1 .520 0.0 0.1 .000 6.7 9.6 .700
Rik Smits 76 22.2 10.9 1.5 3.2 4.7 1.1 0.3 1.5 1.1 3.2 4.5 9.3 .485 0.0 0.0 - 1.9 2.5 .762
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 11 44.9 29.7 3.0 8.8 11.8 1.5 1.2 0.6 3.5 3.2 11.2 23.2 .482 0.0 0.1 .000 7.4 10.2 .723
Rik Smits 5 17.6 9.8 0.8 2.8 3.6 0.4 0.2 1.4 1.0 4.6 4.2 7.4 .568 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 1.6 .875

Season 4

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1988-891991-92
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdPacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 80 39.1 29.1 3.2 7.4 10.7 2.7 1.8 0.9 3.6 3.6 10.1 19.5 .519 0.1 0.2 .313 8.8 11.5 .766
Rik Smits 74 23.9 13.8 1.7 4.0 5.6 1.6 0.4 1.4 1.8 3.1 5.9 11.6 .510 0.0 0.0 .000 2.1 2.6 .788
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 3 45.3 30.7 7.3 9.0 16.3 1.3 1.0 0.3 4.3 5.3 11.0 22.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 8.7 10.7 .813
Rik Smits 3 9.3 3.3 1.0 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.7 0.3 1.0 2.3 1.3 3.7 .364 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 0.7 1.000

Season 5

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1989-901992-93
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdPacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 38.1 31.0 2.8 8.3 11.1 2.8 1.5 0.6 3.7 3.2 11.1 19.8 .562 0.2 0.5 .372 8.5 11.1 .762
Rik Smits 81 25.6 14.3 1.6 3.8 5.3 1.5 0.3 0.9 1.8 3.5 6.1 12.6 .486 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 2.8 .732
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.6 25.2 3.2 7.0 10.2 2.2 2.2 1.0 2.4 4.4 9.2 21.0 .438 0.0 0.2 .000 6.8 9.0 .756
Rik Smits 4 35.8 22.5 3.3 4.8 8.0 1.8 1.3 1.0 2.0 4.5 9.3 16.0 .578 0.0 0.3 .000 4.0 5.5 .727

Season 6

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1990-911993-94
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf SemisPacers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 40.3 29.0 2.9 8.9 11.8 3.3 1.1 1.0 3.0 3.3 10.3 19.6 .527 0.0 0.2 .286 8.3 10.8 .770
Rik Smits 78 27.1 15.7 1.7 4.5 6.2 2.0 0.6 1.1 1.9 3.6 6.3 11.8 .534 0.0 0.0 .000 3.1 3.8 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 9 42.6 29.7 2.6 10.8 13.3 3.2 1.0 1.2 2.9 3.9 10.6 23.2 .455 0.0 0.9 .000 8.6 10.1 .846
Rik Smits 16 28.1 16.0 1.4 3.8 5.3 1.9 0.6 0.6 2.7 4.0 6.4 13.6 .472 0.0 0.0 - 3.1 3.9 .806

Season 7

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1991-921994-95
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf FinalsPacers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 37.7 28.0 2.8 8.4 11.2 3.0 1.3 0.6 3.1 2.8 9.9 18.7 .526 0.0 0.2 .176 8.3 10.7 .778
Rik Smits 78 30.5 17.9 2.5 5.2 7.7 1.4 0.5 1.0 2.4 3.6 7.2 13.6 .526 0.0 0.0 .000 3.6 4.8 .753
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 16 43.0 29.1 2.7 8.6 11.3 2.6 1.4 1.2 2.9 3.6 9.3 17.8 .521 0.0 0.1 .000 10.6 13.1 .805
Rik Smits 17 32.1 20.1 1.9 5.1 7.0 2.0 0.3 0.8 2.0 4.3 7.5 13.6 .547 0.1 0.1 1.000 5.1 6.3 .804

Season 8

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1992-931995-96
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdPacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 37.8 27.0 2.8 8.4 11.2 3.8 1.5 1.0 2.9 3.2 9.7 17.6 .552 0.0 0.2 .200 7.5 10.2 .740
Rik Smits 63 30.2 18.5 1.9 5.0 6.9 1.7 0.3 0.7 2.5 3.6 7.4 14.2 .521 0.0 0.1 .200 3.7 4.7 .788
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 43.2 24.0 2.4 8.0 10.4 2.0 1.2 0.4 4.0 4.2 8.8 19.4 .454 0.2 0.4 .500 6.2 7.6 .816
Rik Smits 5 33.2 19.0 2.6 4.8 7.4 1.6 0.4 0.4 2.8 4.0 8.4 15.4 .545 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 2.8 .786

Season 9

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1993-941996-97
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 40.6 25.2 2.9 8.6 11.5 4.0 1.5 1.5 2.9 3.3 9.4 18.9 .497 0.1 0.4 .250 6.2 9.0 .694
Rik Smits 52 29.2 17.1 2.0 4.9 6.9 1.3 0.4 1.1 2.4 3.4 6.8 14.1 .486 0.0 0.2 .250 3.3 4.2 .797
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 16 43.9 27.1 3.3 9.1 12.4 3.4 1.4 0.8 2.1 3.7 9.9 21.1 .467 0.0 0.3 .000 7.4 10.0 .738
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1994-951997-98
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdPacers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 38.1 26.7 1.9 8.7 10.6 3.5 1.6 1.0 2.9 3.3 10.1 18.9 .536 0.1 0.5 .268 6.3 8.5 .742
Rik Smits 73 28.6 16.7 1.7 5.2 6.9 1.4 0.5 1.2 1.8 3.3 7.0 14.2 .495 0.0 0.0 .000 2.6 3.3 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 43.2 30.2 3.0 10.2 13.2 3.8 1.4 0.4 2.8 3.6 9.6 20.6 .466 0.2 0.6 .333 10.8 15.6 .692
Rik Smits 16 29.8 16.6 1.1 4.3 5.3 1.3 0.5 0.9 1.3 4.2 6.6 13.1 .502 0.0 0.1 .000 3.4 4.0 .859

Season 11

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1995-961998-99
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf FinalsPacers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 38.0 25.7 2.1 7.7 9.8 4.2 1.7 0.7 2.4 3.0 9.6 18.5 .519 0.2 0.5 .400 6.2 8.6 .723
Rik Smits 49 25.9 14.9 1.5 4.1 5.6 1.1 0.4 1.1 1.5 3.2 6.3 12.9 .490 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 2.7 .818
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 18 40.3 26.5 2.6 7.7 10.3 4.4 1.9 0.6 2.5 3.4 10.4 22.3 .469 0.0 0.2 .000 5.6 9.8 .574
Rik Smits 13 22.5 11.8 1.2 3.8 5.0 0.7 0.5 1.2 1.9 3.9 5.2 11.3 .456 0.0 0.0 - 1.5 1.5 .950

Season 12

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1996-971999-00
Team Utah JazzIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost NBA FinalsPacers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 36.6 27.4 2.4 7.5 9.9 4.5 1.4 0.6 2.8 2.6 10.5 19.2 .550 0.0 0.2 .000 6.4 8.4 .755
Rik Smits 79 23.4 12.9 1.2 3.9 5.1 1.1 0.3 1.3 1.4 3.2 5.5 11.3 .484 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.7 .739
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 20 40.8 26.0 3.0 8.4 11.4 2.9 1.4 0.8 2.7 3.0 9.4 21.5 .435 0.1 0.1 .500 7.2 10.0 .720
Rik Smits 22 20.9 11.0 1.1 2.5 3.5 1.0 0.5 0.9 1.2 3.8 4.7 9.4 .498 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 1.8 .875

Season 13

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1997-98-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 37.4 27.0 2.3 8.0 10.3 3.9 1.2 0.9 3.0 2.9 9.6 18.2 .530 0.0 0.1 .333 7.8 10.2 .761
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 20 39.8 26.3 2.4 8.5 10.9 3.4 1.1 1.0 3.0 3.5 9.9 21.0 .471 0.0 0.2 .000 6.5 8.3 .788
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1998-99-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 49 37.4 23.8 2.2 7.3 9.4 4.1 1.3 0.6 3.3 2.7 8.0 16.3 .493 0.0 0.0 .000 7.7 9.8 .788
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 11 41.0 21.8 3.3 8.0 11.3 4.7 1.2 0.7 3.6 3.4 7.8 18.7 .417 0.0 0.1 .000 6.2 7.8 .791
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 1999-00-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 35.9 25.5 2.1 7.4 9.5 3.7 1.0 0.9 2.8 2.8 9.2 18.0 .509 0.0 0.1 .250 7.2 9.0 .797
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 10 38.6 27.2 1.9 7.0 8.9 3.1 0.7 0.7 2.7 3.1 10.3 19.8 .520 0.2 0.2 1.000 6.4 7.9 .810
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 2000-01-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 35.7 23.2 1.4 6.9 8.3 4.5 1.1 0.8 3.0 2.7 8.3 16.6 .498 0.0 0.1 .400 6.6 8.3 .793
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.0 27.6 1.8 7.0 8.8 3.4 1.0 0.8 3.8 2.6 9.8 24.2 .405 0.2 0.4 .500 7.8 9.8 .796
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 2001-02-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 80 38.0 22.4 1.8 6.8 8.6 4.3 1.9 0.7 3.3 2.9 7.9 17.5 .454 0.1 0.3 .360 6.4 8.0 .797
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 4 40.8 20.0 0.8 6.8 7.5 4.5 1.3 0.8 2.8 2.8 7.5 18.3 .411 0.0 0.3 .000 5.0 7.0 .714
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 2002-03-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 36.2 20.6 1.4 6.4 7.8 4.7 1.7 0.4 2.6 2.5 7.3 15.9 .462 0.0 0.2 .214 5.9 7.7 .763
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 38.2 19.6 1.4 5.4 6.8 4.0 1.6 0.4 4.0 3.0 6.8 16.8 .405 0.0 0.2 .000 6.0 8.2 .732
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------

Season 19

Karl Malone Rik Smits
Season 2003-04-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 42 32.7 13.2 1.5 7.3 8.7 3.9 1.2 0.5 2.5 2.8 4.6 9.5 .483 0.0 0.0 .000 4.0 5.4 .747
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 21 38.0 11.5 1.8 7.0 8.8 3.4 1.1 0.1 2.2 3.1 4.7 10.4 .450 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 3.5 .630
Rik Smits ------- --- ----------