Oscar Robertson vs. Isaiah Thomas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Isaiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson, 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 / 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.

Oscar Robertson played 14 years in the NBA, 2 more than Isaiah Thomas, who played 12. Oscar Robertson had the first of his seasons in 1960-61, while Isaiah Thomas had his rookie season in 2011-12. 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
Oscar Robertson 14 10 1960-61 to 1973-74
Isaiah Thomas 12 4 2011-12 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1960-612011-12
Team Cincinnati RoyalsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Oscar Robertson 71 42.7 30.5 - - 10.1 9.7 - - - 3.1 10.6 22.5 .473 - - - 9.2 11.2 .822
difference:+6+17.2+19.0+7.5+5.6-1.2+6.7+13.7+.025+6.8+8.4+.010
Isaiah Thomas 65 25.5 11.5 0.7 1.8 2.6 4.1 0.8 0.1 1.6 1.9 3.9 8.8 .448 1.3 3.4 .379 2.4 2.8 .832
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Oscar Robertson nor Isaiah Thomas played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1961-622012-13
Team Cincinnati RoyalsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Royals Lost West Div SemisDid 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%
Oscar Robertson 79 44.3 30.8 - - 12.5 11.4 - - - 3.3 11.0 22.9 .478 - - - 8.9 11.0 .803
difference:+17.4+16.9+10.5+7.4-1.2+6.4+12.4+.038+5.7+7.4+.079
Isaiah Thomas 79 26.9 13.9 0.4 1.7 2.0 4.0 0.8 0.0 1.8 2.1 4.6 10.5 .440 1.5 4.1 .358 3.2 3.6 .882
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 4 46.3 28.8 - - 11.0 11.0 - - - 4.5 10.5 20.3 .519 - - - 7.8 9.8 .795
Isaiah Thomas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1962-632013-14
Team Cincinnati RoyalsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 80 44.0 28.3 - - 10.4 9.5 - - - 3.7 10.3 19.9 .518 - - - 7.7 9.5 .810
difference:+8+9.3+8.0+7.5+3.2-1.1+3.4+4.7+.065+2.9+3.8+.040
Isaiah Thomas 72 34.7 20.3 0.7 2.3 2.9 6.3 1.3 0.1 3.0 2.6 6.9 15.2 .453 1.8 5.1 .349 4.8 5.7 .850
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 12 47.5 31.8 - - 13.0 9.0 - - - 3.4 10.3 22.0 .470 - - - 11.1 12.8 .864
Isaiah Thomas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1963-642014-15
Team Cincinnati RoyalsPhoenix Suns, Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 79 45.1 31.4 - - 9.9 11.0 - - - 3.5 10.6 22.0 .483 - - - 10.1 11.9 .853
difference:+12+19.3+15.0+7.6+6.8-1.3+5.6+10.1+.063+5.6+6.7+.015
Isaiah Thomas 67 25.8 16.4 0.5 1.8 2.3 4.2 0.9 0.1 2.1 2.2 5.0 11.9 .420 1.9 5.2 .373 4.5 5.2 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 10 47.1 29.3 - - 8.9 8.4 - - - 3.0 9.2 20.2 .455 - - - 10.9 12.7 .858
difference:+6+17.3+11.8+5.9+1.4-0.5+4.7+6.7+.122+3.1+4.7+.111
Isaiah Thomas 4 29.8 17.5 0.3 2.8 3.0 7.0 0.8 0.0 3.5 2.5 4.5 13.5 .333 0.8 4.5 .167 7.8 8.0 .969

Season 5

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1964-652015-16
Team Cincinnati RoyalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 75 45.6 30.4 - - 9.0 11.5 - - - 2.7 10.8 22.4 .480 - - - 8.9 10.6 .839
difference:+7+13.4+8.2+6.0+5.3-0.7+3.6+5.5+.052+3.1+4.0+.032
Isaiah Thomas 82 32.2 22.2 0.6 2.4 3.0 6.2 1.1 0.1 2.7 2.0 7.2 16.9 .428 2.0 5.7 .359 5.8 6.6 .871
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 4 48.8 28.0 - - 4.8 12.0 - - - 3.5 9.5 22.3 .427 - - - 9.0 9.8 .923
difference:+2+12.1+3.8+1.8+7.0-0.5+1.7+2.5+.032+2.7+2.0+.114
Isaiah Thomas 6 36.7 24.2 0.3 2.7 3.0 5.0 0.7 0.8 2.3 3.0 7.8 19.8 .395 2.2 7.7 .283 6.3 7.8 .809

Season 6

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1965-662016-17
Team Cincinnati RoyalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 76 46.0 31.3 - - 7.7 11.1 - - - 3.0 10.8 22.7 .475 - - - 9.8 11.6 .842
difference:+12.2+2.4+5.0+5.2-0.8+1.8+3.3+.012+2.0+3.1+.067
Isaiah Thomas 76 33.8 28.9 0.6 2.1 2.7 5.9 0.9 0.2 2.8 2.2 9.0 19.4 .463 3.2 8.5 .379 7.8 8.5 .909
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 5 44.8 31.8 - - 7.6 7.8 - - - 4.0 9.8 24.0 .408 - - - 12.2 13.6 .897
difference:+10+10.1+8.5+4.5+1.1-1.7+2.4+6.6+.017+6.1+6.2+.077
Isaiah Thomas 15 34.7 23.3 0.3 2.8 3.1 6.7 0.9 0.1 3.3 2.3 7.4 17.4 .425 2.4 7.2 .333 6.1 7.4 .820

Season 7

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1966-672017-18
Team Cincinnati RoyalsCleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 79 43.9 30.5 - - 6.2 10.7 - - - 2.9 10.6 21.5 .493 - - - 9.3 10.7 .873
difference:+47+17.0+15.3+4.1+5.9-1.1+5.7+8.3+.120+5.6+6.6+.020
Isaiah Thomas 32 26.9 15.2 0.5 1.6 2.1 4.8 0.5 0.1 3.0 1.8 4.9 13.2 .373 1.7 5.9 .293 3.7 4.1 .893
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 4 45.8 24.8 - - 4.0 11.3 - - - 2.3 8.3 16.0 .516 - - - 8.3 9.3 .892
Isaiah Thomas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 8

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1967-682018-19
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 65 42.5 29.2 - - 6.0 9.7 - - - 3.1 10.2 20.3 .500 - - - 8.9 10.2 .873
difference:+53+27.4+21.1+4.9+7.8-1.7+7.4+12.0+.157+7.5+7.9+.243
Isaiah Thomas 12 15.1 8.1 0.4 0.7 1.1 1.9 0.4 0.1 1.5 1.4 2.8 8.3 .343 1.0 3.6 .279 1.4 2.3 .630
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Oscar Robertson nor Isaiah Thomas played in the postseason in their season 8

Season 9

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1968-692019-20
Team Cincinnati RoyalsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 79 43.8 24.7 - - 6.4 9.8 - - - 2.9 8.3 17.1 .486 - - - 8.1 9.7 .838
difference:+39+20.7+12.5+4.7+6.1-1.0+3.9+6.4+.078+6.5+7.8+.022
Isaiah Thomas 40 23.1 12.2 0.3 1.4 1.7 3.7 0.3 0.2 1.9 1.9 4.4 10.7 .408 2.0 4.7 .413 1.6 1.9 .816
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Oscar Robertson nor Isaiah Thomas played in the postseason in their season 9

Season 10

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1969-702020-21
Team Cincinnati RoyalsNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 69 41.5 25.3 - - 6.1 8.1 - - - 2.5 9.4 18.4 .511 - - - 6.6 8.1 .809
difference:+66+25.5+17.6+4.8+6.4-1.5+6.4+9.4+.178+5.9+7.4+.191
Isaiah Thomas 3 16.0 7.7 0.3 1.0 1.3 1.7 0.3 0.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 9.0 .333 1.0 4.0 .250 0.7 0.7 1.000
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Oscar Robertson nor Isaiah Thomas played in the postseason in their season 10

Season 11

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1970-712021-22
Team Milwaukee BucksLos Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 81 39.4 19.4 - - 5.7 8.2 - - - 2.5 7.3 14.7 .496 - - - 4.8 5.6 .850
difference:+59+24.2+11.0+4.4+6.7-1.0+4.3+7.1+.095+3.8+4.4+.004
Isaiah Thomas 22 15.2 8.4 0.2 1.1 1.3 1.5 0.3 0.2 0.7 1.5 3.0 7.6 .401 1.3 3.8 .337 1.0 1.2 .846
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 14 37.1 18.3 - - 5.0 8.9 - - - 2.8 7.3 15.0 .486 - - - 3.7 4.9 .754
Isaiah Thomas DNP------ --- ----------

Note: Isaiah Thomas didn't play in 2022-23.

Season 12

Oscar Robertson Isaiah Thomas
Season 1971-722023-24
Team Milwaukee BucksPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf FinalsSuns Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 64 37.3 17.4 - - 5.0 7.7 - - - 1.8 6.5 13.9 .472 - - - 4.3 5.2 .836
difference:+58+34.1+16.1+5.0+7.2-1.8+6.0+12.2+.172+4.3+5.2
Isaiah Thomas 6 3.2 1.3 0.0 0.0 0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.7 .300 0.3 0.7 .500 0.0 0.0 -
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Oscar Robertson 11 34.5 13.1 - - 5.8 7.5 - - - 2.6 5.2 12.7 .407 - - - 2.7 3.3 .833
difference:+10+30.5+13.1+5.8+7.5-2.6+5.2+10.7+.407+2.7+3.3
Isaiah Thomas 1 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 .000 0.0 1.0 .000 0.0 0.0 -

Additional Years

* Oscar Robertson played 2 seasons more than Isaiah Thomas in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 13 to 14, from 1973 to 1974—Oscar Robertson played in two Playoffs.