Purvis Short vs. Bill Walton Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Walton and Purvis Short, 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.

Purvis Short played 12 years in the NBA, 2 more than Bill Walton, who played 10. Purvis Short had the first of his seasons in 1978-79, while Bill Walton had his rookie season in 1974-75. 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
Purvis Short 12 3 1978-79 to 1989-90
Bill Walton 10 4 1974-75 to 1986-87

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1978-791974-75
Team Golden State WarriorsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 75 22.7 10.6 1.7 2.9 4.6 1.3 0.7 0.2 1.5 3.1 4.9 10.3 .479 - - - 0.8 1.1 .671
Bill Walton 35 32.9 12.8 2.6 10.0 12.6 4.8 0.8 2.7 - 3.3 5.1 9.9 .513 - - - 2.7 3.9 .686
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1979-801975-76
Team Golden State WarriorsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 62 26.4 17.0 1.9 3.2 5.1 2.0 1.0 0.1 2.0 3.0 7.4 14.8 .503 0.0 0.1 .000 2.2 2.7 .812
Bill Walton 51 33.1 16.1 2.6 10.8 13.4 4.3 1.0 1.6 - 2.8 6.8 14.4 .471 - - - 2.6 4.5 .583
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1980-811976-77
Team Golden State WarriorsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement Blocks Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 79 29.2 16.1 1.9 3.0 4.9 3.2 1.0 0.2 1.8 3.1 6.9 14.6 .475 0.0 0.2 .176 2.1 2.6 .820
Bill Walton 65 34.8 18.6 3.2 11.1 14.4 3.8 1.0 3.2 - 2.7 7.6 14.3 .528 - - - 3.5 5.0 .697
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton 19 39.7 18.2 2.9 12.2 15.2 5.5 1.1 3.4 - 4.2 8.1 15.9 .507 - - - 2.1 3.0 .684

Season 4

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1981-821977-78
Team Golden State WarriorsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
Purvis Short 76 23.4 14.4 1.6 1.9 3.5 2.8 0.9 0.1 1.6 2.9 6.0 12.3 .488 0.1 0.4 .214 2.3 2.9 .801
Bill Walton 58 33.3 18.9 2.0 11.2 13.2 5.0 1.0 2.5 3.6 2.5 7.9 15.2 .522 - - - 3.1 4.2 .720
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton 2 24.5 13.5 2.5 8.5 11.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 3.0 0.5 5.5 9.0 .611 - - - 2.5 3.5 .714

Note: Bill Walton didn't play in 1978-79.

Season 5

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1982-831979-80
Team Golden State WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 67 35.8 21.4 2.2 3.1 5.3 3.4 1.4 0.2 2.9 3.6 8.8 18.0 .487 0.1 0.2 .267 3.8 4.6 .828
Bill Walton 14 24.1 13.9 2.0 7.0 9.0 2.4 0.6 2.7 2.6 2.6 5.8 11.5 .503 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.9 .593
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Note: Bill Walton didn't play in 1980-81 and 1981-82.

Season 6

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1983-841982-83
Team Golden State WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 79 37.3 22.8 2.3 3.2 5.5 3.1 1.3 0.1 2.9 3.2 9.0 19.1 .473 0.3 0.9 .306 4.5 5.6 .793
Bill Walton 33 33.3 14.1 2.3 7.5 9.8 3.6 1.0 3.6 3.2 3.4 6.1 11.5 .528 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.5 .556
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1984-851983-84
Team Golden State WarriorsSan Diego Clippers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 78 39.5 28.0 2.0 3.1 5.1 3.0 1.5 0.3 3.1 3.3 10.5 22.8 .460 0.6 1.9 .313 6.4 7.9 .817
Bill Walton 55 26.8 12.1 2.4 6.3 8.7 3.3 0.8 1.6 3.2 2.8 5.2 9.4 .556 0.0 0.0 .000 1.7 2.8 .597
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1985-861984-85
Team Golden State WarriorsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Purvis Short 64 37.9 25.5 2.0 3.2 5.1 3.7 1.4 0.3 2.9 3.6 9.9 20.5 .482 0.2 0.8 .306 5.5 6.3 .865
Bill Walton 67 24.6 10.1 2.5 6.4 9.0 2.3 0.7 2.1 2.6 2.7 4.0 7.7 .521 0.0 0.0 .000 2.1 3.0 .680
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1986-871985-86
Team Golden State WarriorsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Sixth Man of the Year
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 34 27.9 18.3 1.6 2.4 4.0 2.5 1.3 0.2 2.0 3.0 7.1 14.7 .479 0.1 0.5 .235 4.0 4.7 .856
Bill Walton 80 19.3 7.6 1.7 5.1 6.8 2.1 0.5 1.3 1.9 2.6 2.9 5.1 .562 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.5 .713
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 10 25.3 14.6 1.2 2.1 3.3 2.7 1.2 0.2 2.1 3.4 5.7 12.3 .463 0.0 0.2 .000 3.2 3.6 .889
Bill Walton 16 18.2 7.9 1.6 4.9 6.4 1.7 0.4 0.8 1.4 2.8 3.4 5.8 .581 0.0 0.1 .000 1.2 1.4 .826

Season 10

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1987-881986-87
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 81 24.1 14.3 0.9 1.9 2.7 2.0 0.7 0.2 1.5 2.4 5.9 12.2 .481 0.1 0.3 .238 2.5 3.0 .858
Bill Walton 10 11.2 2.8 1.1 2.0 3.1 0.9 0.1 1.0 1.5 2.3 1.0 2.6 .385 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.5 .533
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 4 17.8 5.5 1.0 1.3 2.3 0.3 0.3 0.0 1.0 2.0 1.8 6.5 .269 0.0 0.3 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000
Bill Walton 12 8.5 2.4 0.8 1.8 2.6 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.9 1.0 2.1 .480 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 1.2 .357

Season 11

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1988-89-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Purvis Short 65 17.8 7.4 1.0 1.8 2.8 1.6 0.7 0.2 1.1 1.8 3.0 7.4 .413 0.1 0.5 .273 1.2 1.4 .865
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 4 9.3 4.8 1.5 0.8 2.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.8 2.0 5.3 .381 0.0 0.5 .000 0.8 1.3 .600
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Purvis Short Bill Walton
Season 1989-90-
Team New Jersey Nets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short 82 27.0 13.1 1.2 1.8 3.0 1.8 0.8 0.2 1.5 2.5 5.3 11.6 .455 0.1 0.4 .286 2.4 2.9 .835
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Purvis Short ------- --- ----------
Bill Walton ------- --- ----------