Nate Thurmond vs. Jerome Whitehead Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jerome Whitehead and Nate Thurmond, 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.

Nate Thurmond played 14 years in the NBA, 3 more than Jerome Whitehead, who played 11. Nate Thurmond had the first of his seasons in 1963-64, while Jerome Whitehead had his rookie season in 1978-79. 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
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77
Jerome Whitehead 11 1 1978-79 to 1988-89

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1963-641978-79
Team San Francisco WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Jerome Whitehead 31 4.9 1.2 0.5 1.1 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.9 0.5 1.1 .441 - - - 0.3 0.6 .444
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1964-651979-80
Team San Francisco WarriorsSan Diego Clippers, Utah Jazz
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Jerome Whitehead 50 11.1 2.5 1.1 2.2 3.3 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.7 1.9 1.2 2.3 .509 0.0 0.0 - 0.2 0.7 .286
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1965-661980-81
Team San Francisco WarriorsDallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Jerome Whitehead 48 14.3 4.0 1.2 3.3 4.5 0.5 0.4 0.2 1.2 2.5 1.7 3.8 .461 0.0 0.0 .000 0.6 1.2 .500
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1966-671981-82
Team San Francisco WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Jerome Whitehead 72 30.8 13.8 3.2 6.0 9.2 1.4 0.7 0.6 2.0 4.0 5.6 10.1 .559 0.0 0.0 - 2.6 3.3 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1967-681982-83
Team San Francisco WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Jerome Whitehead 46 19.7 8.7 2.3 3.4 5.7 0.9 0.5 0.3 1.4 3.0 3.6 6.7 .536 0.0 0.0 - 1.6 1.9 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1968-691983-84
Team San Francisco WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Jerome Whitehead 70 13.2 5.4 1.3 2.2 3.5 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.8 2.3 2.1 4.2 .490 0.0 0.0 - 1.3 1.5 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1969-701984-85
Team San Francisco WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Jerome Whitehead 79 32.1 13.0 2.8 5.1 7.9 0.7 0.6 0.5 1.8 4.1 5.3 10.4 .510 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.0 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1970-711985-86
Team San Francisco WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Jerome Whitehead 81 13.3 3.9 1.2 2.9 4.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.8 2.2 1.6 3.6 .429 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 1.2 .619
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1971-721986-87
Team Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisWarriors 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 %
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Jerome Whitehead 73 12.8 5.1 1.5 2.1 3.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.7 2.4 2.0 4.5 .450 0.0 0.0 .000 1.1 1.5 .699
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750
Jerome Whitehead 10 10.0 2.2 0.5 0.9 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 2.2 0.9 2.7 .333 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 1.0 .400

Season 10

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1972-731987-88
Team Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors 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 %
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Jerome Whitehead 72 17.0 5.7 1.5 2.9 4.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.7 2.9 2.4 5.0 .483 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.1 .720
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1973-741988-89
Team Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 62 39.7 13.0 4.0 10.1 14.2 2.7 0.7 2.9 - 2.9 5.0 11.2 .444 - - - 3.1 4.6 .666
Jerome Whitehead 57 10.9 3.1 0.9 1.5 2.4 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.4 2.0 1.3 3.2 .396 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.8 .660
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1974-75-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bulls Lost West Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 80 34.5 7.9 3.2 8.1 11.3 4.1 0.6 2.4 - 3.4 3.1 8.6 .364 - - - 1.7 2.8 .589
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 13 19.5 3.5 1.8 4.8 6.7 2.4 0.4 1.6 - 2.8 1.1 2.9 .368 - - - 1.4 2.8 .486
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1975-76-
Team Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers 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 %
Nate Thurmond 78 17.9 4.4 1.5 3.8 5.3 1.2 0.3 1.3 - 2.1 1.8 4.3 .421 - - - 0.8 1.6 .504
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 13 28.8 6.7 2.9 6.1 9.0 2.2 0.5 2.2 - 4.0 2.8 6.1 .468 - - - 1.0 2.5 .406
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Nate Thurmond Jerome Whitehead
Season 1976-77-
Team Cleveland Cavaliers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers 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 %
Nate Thurmond 49 20.3 5.5 2.5 5.2 7.6 1.7 0.3 1.7 - 2.6 2.0 5.0 .407 - - - 1.4 2.2 .642
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 - 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Jerome Whitehead ------- --- ----------