Michael Jordan vs. Arvydas Sabonis Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Arvydas Sabonis and Michael Jordan, 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 / 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.

Michael Jordan played 15 years in the NBA, 8 more than Arvydas Sabonis, who played 7. Michael Jordan had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, while Arvydas Sabonis had his rookie season in 1995-96. 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
Michael Jordan 15 13 1984-85 to 2002-03
Arvydas Sabonis 7 7 1995-96 to 2002-03

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1984-851995-96
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 38.3 28.2 2.0 4.5 6.5 5.9 2.4 0.8 3.5 3.5 10.2 19.8 .515 0.1 0.6 .173 7.7 9.1 .845
difference:+9+14.5+13.7+1.5+1.6+4.1+1.5+0.3-1.4-0.6+4.8+9.9+.030+0.4+0.8+.202+4.5+4.9+.088
Arvydas Sabonis 73 23.8 14.5 2.0 6.0 8.1 1.8 0.9 1.1 2.1 2.9 5.4 9.9 .545 0.5 1.4 .375 3.2 4.2 .757
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 4 42.8 29.3 1.8 4.0 5.8 8.5 2.8 1.0 3.8 3.8 8.5 19.5 .436 0.3 2.0 .125 12.0 14.5 .828
difference:+1+7.4+5.7+0.6+3.8+4.4+6.7+2.0+0.4-1.8-0.4+1.5+3.3+.004+0.7+0.2+.431+3.4+2.5+.111
Arvydas Sabonis 5 35.4 23.6 2.4 7.8 10.2 1.8 0.8 0.6 2.0 3.4 7.0 16.2 .432 1.0 1.8 .556 8.6 12.0 .717

Season 2
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1985-861996-97
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 18 25.1 22.7 1.3 2.3 3.6 2.9 2.1 1.2 2.5 2.6 8.3 18.2 .457 0.2 1.0 .167 5.8 6.9 .840
difference:+51+0.4+9.3+0.4+4.0+4.3+0.8+1.2-0.3-0.3+3.5+8.7+.041+0.5+0.9+.204+2.6+2.7+.063
Arvydas Sabonis 69 25.5 13.4 1.7 6.3 7.9 2.1 0.9 1.2 2.2 2.9 4.8 9.5 .498 0.7 1.9 .371 3.2 4.2 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 3 45.0 43.7 1.7 4.7 6.3 5.7 2.3 1.3 4.7 4.3 16.0 31.7 .505 0.3 0.3 1.000 11.3 13.0 .872
difference:+1+18.2+32.4+0.3+0.2+0.2+3.4+1.5+0.5-2.4-0.5+11.5+21.2+.076+0.2+1.7+.750+9.5+11.0+.003
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 11.3 2.0 4.5 6.5 2.3 0.8 0.8 2.3 4.8 4.5 10.5 .429 0.5 2.0 .250 1.8 2.0 .875

Season 3
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1986-871997-98
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers 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%
Michael Jordan 82 40.0 37.1 2.0 3.2 5.2 4.6 2.9 1.5 3.3 2.9 13.4 27.8 .482 0.1 0.8 .182 10.2 11.9 .857
difference:+9+8.0+21.1+4.7+4.8+1.6+2.0+0.4-0.7-0.8+7.8+16.5+.011+0.3+0.8+.079+5.8+6.4+.059
Arvydas Sabonis 73 32.0 16.0 2.0 7.9 10.0 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.6 3.7 5.6 11.3 .493 0.4 1.6 .261 4.4 5.5 .798
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 3 42.7 35.7 2.3 4.7 7.0 6.0 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.7 11.7 28.0 .417 0.7 1.7 .400 11.7 13.0 .897
difference:+1+15.9+23.4+0.5+1.3+0.8+4.5+0.2+1.5-0.2-1.1+7.2+18.0+.033+0.4+1.2+.100+8.7+9.5+.040
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 12.3 1.8 6.0 7.8 1.5 1.8 0.8 2.5 4.8 4.5 10.0 .450 0.3 0.5 .500 3.0 3.5 .857

Season 4
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1987-881998-99
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Defensive Player of the Year-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Steals Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf SemisTrail Blazers 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%
Michael Jordan 82 40.4 35.0 1.7 3.8 5.5 5.9 3.2 1.6 3.1 3.3 13.0 24.4 .535 0.1 0.6 .132 8.8 10.5 .841
difference:+32+13.4+22.9+0.1+2.3+2.4+3.5+2.5+0.3-1.4-0.4+8.4+14.8+.050+0.1+.160+6.1+7.0+.070
Arvydas Sabonis 50 27.0 12.1 1.8 6.1 7.9 2.4 0.7 1.3 1.7 2.9 4.6 9.6 .485 0.1 0.5 .292 2.7 3.5 .771
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 10 42.7 36.3 2.3 4.8 7.1 4.7 2.4 1.1 3.9 3.8 13.8 26.0 .531 0.1 0.3 .333 8.6 9.9 .869
difference:+3+12.6+26.3+1.4+3.0+1.7+2.5+1.2+0.1-2.4-1.1+10.3+17.3+.133+0.1+.133+5.6+6.6+.038
Arvydas Sabonis 13 30.1 10.0 0.9 7.8 8.8 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 2.7 3.5 8.7 .398 0.1 0.4 .200 3.0 3.3 .907

Season 5
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1988-891999-00
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf FinalsTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 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%
Michael Jordan 81 40.2 32.5 1.8 6.2 8.0 8.0 2.9 0.8 3.6 3.0 11.9 22.2 .538 0.3 1.2 .276 8.3 9.8 .850
difference:+15+14.6+20.7+0.3+0.1+0.2+6.2+2.2+0.4-2.1-0.2+7.3+13.1+.033+0.2+0.9+.092+5.8+6.8+.007
Arvydas Sabonis 66 25.6 11.8 1.5 6.3 7.8 1.8 0.7 1.2 1.5 2.8 4.6 9.1 .505 0.1 0.3 .368 2.5 3.0 .843
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 17 42.2 34.8 1.5 5.5 7.0 7.6 2.5 0.8 4.0 3.8 11.7 22.9 .510 0.6 2.1 .286 10.8 13.5 .799
difference:+1+11.4+23.5+0.3+0.3+5.7+1.6-2.4-0.1+7.4+13.5+.057+0.2+0.8+8.4+10.4+.003
Arvydas Sabonis 16 30.8 11.3 1.2 5.5 6.7 1.9 0.9 0.8 1.6 3.7 4.3 9.4 .453 0.4 1.3 .286 2.4 3.1 .796

Season 6
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1989-902000-01
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Steals Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf FinalsTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 39.0 33.6 1.7 5.1 6.9 6.3 2.8 0.7 3.0 2.9 12.6 24.0 .526 1.1 3.0 .376 7.2 8.5 .848
difference:+21+17.7+23.5+0.9+0.5+1.5+4.8+2.1+0.3-1.6-0.7+8.6+15.5+.047+1.1+2.8+.309+5.2+5.9+.072
Arvydas Sabonis 61 21.3 10.1 0.8 4.6 5.4 1.5 0.7 1.0 1.4 2.2 4.0 8.5 .479 0.0 0.2 .067 2.0 2.6 .776
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 16 42.1 36.7 1.5 5.7 7.2 6.8 2.8 0.9 3.5 3.4 13.7 26.6 .514 1.0 3.1 .320 8.3 9.9 .836
difference:+13+7.1+25.4+1.2+1.1+4.1+2.5+1.4-2.8-0.6+9.0+16.9+.031+1.0+2.4+.320+6.3+7.2+.086
Arvydas Sabonis 3 35.0 11.3 2.7 5.7 8.3 2.7 0.3 2.3 0.7 4.0 4.7 9.7 .483 0.0 0.7 .000 2.0 2.7 .750

Note: Arvydas Sabonis didn't play in 2001-02.

Season 7
Michael Jordan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1990-912002-03
Team Chicago BullsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 37.0 31.5 1.4 4.6 6.0 5.5 2.7 1.0 2.5 2.8 12.1 22.4 .539 0.4 1.1 .312 7.0 8.2 .851
difference:+4+21.5+25.4+0.3+1.4+1.7+3.7+1.9+0.4-1.5-1.0+9.9+17.8+.063+0.4+1.0+.188+5.3+6.1+.064
Arvydas Sabonis 78 15.5 6.1 1.1 3.2 4.3 1.8 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.8 2.2 4.6 .476 0.0 0.1 .500 1.7 2.1 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 17 40.5 31.1 1.1 5.3 6.4 8.4 2.4 1.4 2.5 3.1 11.6 22.1 .524 0.6 1.5 .385 7.4 8.7 .845
difference:+11+26.0+21.1+0.1+2.3+2.4+7.6+1.7+0.7-1.5-0.8+7.6+16.1+.143+0.6+1.5+5.4+6.2+.045
Arvydas Sabonis 6 14.5 10.0 1.0 3.0 4.0 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.0 2.3 4.0 6.0 .667 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.5 .800

Additional Years

* Michael Jordan played 8 seasons more than Arvydas Sabonis in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 8 to 15, from 1992 to 2003—Michael Jordan played in 6 Playoffs and won 5 NBA Championships.

In those 8 extra years over Arvydas Sabonis, Michael Jordan got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 5 Finals MVP
Achievement 3 Season MVP
Achievement 5 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 5 All-Defensive First Team
Achievement 5 Scoring Leader
Achievement 1 Steals Leader
Achievement 7 All-Star Game
Achievement 2 All-Star Game MVP
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