Paul George vs. Yao Ming Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Yao Ming and Paul George, 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.

Paul George played 15 years in the NBA, 7 more than Yao Ming, who played 8. Paul George had the first of his seasons in 2010-11, while Yao Ming had his rookie season in 2002-03. 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
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2010-11	2002-03
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	-	All-Rookie First Team
	All-Rookie Second Team	-
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd	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		%
Paul George	61	20.7	7.8	0.6	3.1	3.7	1.1	1.0	0.4	1.1	2.1	2.9	6.5	.453	0.7	2.3	.297	1.3	1.7	.762
difference:	+21	+8.3	+5.7	+1.8	+2.7	+4.5	+0.6	+0.6	+1.4	-1.0	-0.7	+2.0	+3.3	+.045	+0.7	+2.3		+2.4	+2.8	+.049
Yao Ming	82	29.0	13.5	2.4	5.8	8.2	1.7	0.4	1.8	2.1	2.8	4.9	9.8	.498	0.0	0.0	-	3.7	4.5	.811
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	5	26.6	6.0	1.0	4.0	5.0	1.0	1.4	2.0	1.4	2.2	2.0	6.6	.303	0.6	2.6	.231	1.4	1.6	.875
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 2
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2011-12	2003-04
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Third Team
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf Semis	Rockets Lost West 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		%
Paul George	66	29.7	12.1	0.8	4.8	5.6	2.4	1.6	0.6	1.8	2.9	4.3	9.7	.440	1.4	3.5	.385	2.2	2.8	.802
difference:	+16	+3.1	+5.4	+1.6	+1.8	+3.4	+0.9	+1.3	+1.3	-0.7	-0.4	+2.2	+2.8	+.082	+1.4	+3.5		+2.2	+2.6	+.007
Yao Ming	82	32.8	17.5	2.4	6.6	9.0	1.5	0.3	1.9	2.5	3.3	6.5	12.5	.522	0.0	0.0	-	4.4	5.4	.809
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	11	33.7	9.7	1.4	5.3	6.6	2.4	1.6	0.4	1.9	2.9	3.4	8.6	.389	1.0	3.7	.268	2.0	2.5	.786
difference:	+6	+3.9	+5.3	+0.8	+0.1	+0.8	+0.6	+1.2	+1.0	-0.7	-1.1	+2.8	+5.0	+.067	+1.0	+3.7		+0.6	+0.9	+.021
Yao Ming	5	37.6	15.0	2.2	5.2	7.4	1.8	0.4	1.4	2.6	4.0	6.2	13.6	.456	0.0	0.0	-	2.6	3.4	.765

Season 3
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2012-13	2004-05
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	-
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	Most Improved Player	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf Finals	Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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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		%
Paul George	79	37.6	17.4	1.1	6.5	7.6	4.1	1.8	0.6	2.9	2.9	6.2	14.9	.419	2.2	5.9	.362	2.8	3.5	.807
difference:	+1	+7.0	+0.9	+1.5	+0.7	+0.8	+3.3	+1.4	+1.4	-0.4	-0.8	+0.5	+2.7	+.133	+2.2	+5.9		+2.1	+2.7	+.024
Yao Ming	80	30.6	18.3	2.6	5.8	8.4	0.8	0.4	2.0	2.5	3.7	6.7	12.2	.552	0.0	0.0	-	4.9	6.2	.783
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	19	41.1	19.2	0.8	6.6	7.4	5.1	1.3	0.5	3.9	3.8	6.3	14.6	.430	1.8	5.5	.327	4.9	6.7	.727
difference:	+12	+9.2	+2.2	+2.5	+2.2	+0.3	+4.4	+1.0	+2.2	-1.2	-0.6	+1.6	+2.6	+.225	+1.8	+5.5		+0.8	+1.2
Yao Ming	7	31.9	21.4	3.3	4.4	7.7	0.7	0.3	2.7	2.7	4.4	7.9	12.0	.655	0.0	0.0	-	5.7	7.9	.727

Season 4
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2013-14	2005-06
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	All-NBA Third Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf Finals	Did Not Play

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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		%
Paul George	80	36.2	21.7	0.8	6.0	6.8	3.5	1.9	0.3	2.8	2.5	7.2	17.0	.424	2.3	6.3	.364	5.0	5.8	.864
difference:	+23	+2.0	+0.6	+1.8	+1.6	+3.4	+2.0	+1.4	+1.3	-0.2	-0.9	+1.0	+1.2	+.095	+2.3	+6.3		+0.9	+1.1	+.011
Yao Ming	57	34.2	22.3	2.6	7.6	10.2	1.5	0.5	1.6	2.6	3.4	8.2	15.8	.519	0.0	0.0	-	5.9	6.9	.853
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	19	41.1	22.6	0.7	6.9	7.6	3.8	2.2	0.4	2.6	2.9	7.3	16.6	.438	2.7	6.8	.403	5.3	6.7	.789
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 5
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2014-15	2006-07
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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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		%
Paul George	6	15.2	8.8	0.7	3.0	3.7	1.0	0.8	0.2	2.0	1.8	3.0	8.2	.367	1.5	3.7	.409	1.3	1.8	.727
difference:	+42	+18.6	+16.2	+1.4	+4.3	+5.7	+1.0	+0.4	+1.8	-1.5	-1.5	+5.8	+8.9	+.149	+1.5	+3.7		+6.1	+6.8	+.135
Yao Ming	48	33.8	25.0	2.1	7.3	9.4	2.0	0.4	2.0	3.5	3.3	8.8	17.1	.516	0.0	0.0	-	7.4	8.6	.862
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Yao Ming	7	37.1	25.1	3.3	7.0	10.3	0.9	0.1	0.7	4.7	3.9	7.9	17.9	.440	0.0	0.0	-	9.4	10.7	.880

Season 6
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2015-16	2007-08
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	All-NBA Third Team
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd	Did Not Play

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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		%
Paul George	81	34.8	23.1	1.0	6.0	7.0	4.1	1.9	0.4	3.3	2.8	7.5	17.9	.418	2.6	7.0	.371	5.6	6.5	.860
difference:	+26	+2.4	+1.1	+2.1	+1.7	+3.8	+1.8	+1.4	+1.6		-0.3	+0.4	+2.4	+.089	+2.6	+7.0		+0.7	+0.9	+.010
Yao Ming	55	37.2	22.0	3.1	7.7	10.8	2.3	0.5	2.0	3.3	3.1	7.9	15.5	.507	0.0	0.0	-	6.3	7.4	.850
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	7	39.3	27.3	1.3	6.3	7.6	4.3	2.0	0.7	3.3	3.4	8.0	17.6	.455	2.6	6.1	.419	8.7	9.1	.953
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 7
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2016-17	2008-09
Team	Indiana Pacers	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd	Rockets Lost West 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		%
Paul George	75	35.9	23.7	0.8	5.8	6.6	3.3	1.6	0.4	2.9	2.7	8.3	18.0	.461	2.6	6.6	.393	4.5	5.0	.898
difference:	+2	+2.3	+4.0	+1.8	+1.4	+3.3	+1.5	+1.2	+1.5	-0.1	-0.6	+0.9	+4.6	+.087	+2.6	+6.6		+0.4	+0.7	+.032
Yao Ming	77	33.6	19.7	2.6	7.2	9.9	1.8	0.4	1.9	3.0	3.3	7.4	13.4	.548	0.0	0.0	-	4.9	5.7	.866
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	4	43.0	28.0	1.3	7.5	8.8	7.3	1.8	0.5	3.3	3.3	8.5	22.0	.386	4.5	10.5	.429	6.5	7.5	.867
difference:	+5	+7.1	+10.9	+0.8	+1.3	+2.1	+6.3	+1.4	+0.7	-1.4	-0.3	+2.5	+11.0	+.159	+4.5	+10.5		+1.4	+1.8	+.035
Yao Ming	9	35.9	17.1	2.1	8.8	10.9	1.0	0.4	1.2	1.9	3.0	6.0	11.0	.545	0.0	0.0	-	5.1	5.7	.902

Note: Yao Ming didn't play in 2009-10.

Season 8
	Paul George	Yao Ming
Season	2017-18	2010-11
Team	Oklahoma City Thunder	Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Thunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Did Not Play

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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		%
Paul George	79	36.6	21.9	0.9	4.7	5.7	3.3	2.0	0.5	2.7	2.9	7.3	17.0	.430	3.1	7.7	.401	4.3	5.2	.822
difference:	+74	+18.4	+11.7	+0.5	+0.7	+0.3	+2.5	+2.0	+1.1	-1.3	-0.3	+3.7	+9.6	+.056	+3.1	+7.7		+1.3	+2.0	+.116
Yao Ming	5	18.2	10.2	1.4	4.0	5.4	0.8	0.0	1.6	1.4	2.6	3.6	7.4	.486	0.0	0.0	-	3.0	3.2	.938
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Paul George	6	41.8	24.7	0.7	5.3	6.0	2.7	1.3	0.7	4.0	2.8	8.2	20.0	.408	3.2	8.7	.365	5.2	6.0	.861
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Additional Years
* Paul George played 7 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 9 to 15, from 2019 to 2025—Paul George played in 4 Playoffs. In those 7 extra years over Yao Ming, Paul George got these achievements:
Honors & Awards	1 All-NBA First Team 1 All-NBA Third Team 1 All-Defensive First Team 1 Steals Leader 4 All-Star Game