Rudy LaRusso vs. Gary Payton Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Gary Payton and Rudy LaRusso, 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.

Rudy LaRusso played 10 years in the NBA, 7 less than Gary Payton, who played 17. Rudy LaRusso had the first of his seasons in 1959-60, while Gary Payton had his rookie season in 1990-91. 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
Rudy LaRusso 10 9 1959-60 to 1968-69
Gary Payton 17 15 1990-91 to 2006-07

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1959-601990-91
Team Minneapolis LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 71 29.5 13.7 - - 9.6 1.2 - - - 3.1 5.0 12.9 .389 - - - 3.7 5.0 .742
Gary Payton 82 27.4 7.2 1.3 1.6 3.0 6.4 2.0 0.2 2.2 3.0 3.2 7.0 .450 0.0 0.2 .077 0.8 1.2 .711
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 9 35.7 15.4 - - 7.8 2.4 - - - 3.8 6.2 14.7 .424 - - - 3.0 3.9 .771
Gary Payton 5 27.0 4.8 1.0 1.6 2.6 6.4 1.6 0.2 1.8 3.2 2.2 5.4 .407 0.0 0.2 .000 0.4 0.4 1.000

Season 2

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1960-611991-92
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 79 32.8 14.6 - - 9.9 1.7 - - - 3.5 5.3 12.6 .419 - - - 4.1 5.2 .790
Gary Payton 81 31.5 9.4 1.5 2.1 3.6 6.2 1.8 0.3 2.1 3.1 4.1 9.1 .451 0.0 0.3 .130 1.2 1.8 .669
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 12 30.0 12.2 - - 8.0 2.0 - - - 3.6 4.8 12.0 .396 - - - 2.7 4.0 .667
Gary Payton 8 27.6 7.6 0.8 1.9 2.6 4.8 1.0 0.3 1.3 3.3 3.4 7.3 .466 0.0 0.3 .000 0.9 1.5 .583

Season 3

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1961-621992-93
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 80 34.4 17.2 - - 10.4 2.2 - - - 3.2 6.5 13.9 .466 - - - 4.3 5.6 .763
Gary Payton 82 31.1 13.5 1.2 2.3 3.4 4.9 2.2 0.3 1.8 3.0 5.8 11.7 .494 0.1 0.4 .206 1.8 2.4 .770
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 13 35.5 14.1 - - 9.1 1.7 - - - 3.9 4.4 12.0 .365 - - - 5.3 7.0 .758
Gary Payton 19 31.8 12.3 1.2 2.2 3.3 3.7 1.8 0.2 1.8 3.4 5.5 12.4 .443 0.1 0.3 .167 1.3 1.9 .676

Season 4

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1962-631993-94
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 75 33.4 12.3 - - 10.0 2.5 - - - 3.4 4.3 10.1 .422 - - - 3.8 5.2 .718
Gary Payton 82 35.1 16.5 1.3 2.0 3.3 6.0 2.3 0.2 2.1 2.8 7.1 14.1 .504 0.2 0.7 .278 2.0 3.4 .595
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 13 35.8 14.4 - - 9.8 2.2 - - - 4.5 5.0 11.8 .422 - - - 4.4 5.8 .760
Gary Payton 5 36.2 15.8 1.2 2.2 3.4 5.6 1.6 0.4 1.6 3.0 6.8 13.8 .493 0.6 1.8 .333 1.6 3.8 .421

Season 5

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1963-641994-95
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 79 34.8 12.3 - - 10.1 2.4 - - - 3.4 4.3 9.8 .434 - - - 3.8 5.0 .751
Gary Payton 82 36.8 20.6 1.3 2.1 3.4 7.1 2.5 0.2 2.5 2.5 8.4 16.4 .509 0.9 2.8 .302 3.0 4.2 .716
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 5 37.8 9.0 - - 6.0 2.2 - - - 4.6 2.6 6.6 .394 - - - 3.8 4.4 .864
Gary Payton 4 43.0 17.8 1.5 1.0 2.5 5.3 1.3 0.0 2.0 3.3 8.0 16.8 .478 0.5 2.5 .200 1.3 3.0 .417

Season 6

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1964-651995-96
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Steals Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 77 33.6 14.1 - - 9.4 2.6 - - - 3.4 4.9 10.7 .461 - - - 4.2 5.4 .773
Gary Payton 81 39.0 19.3 1.3 2.9 4.2 7.5 2.9 0.2 3.2 2.7 7.6 15.8 .484 1.2 3.7 .328 2.8 3.8 .748
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 11 35.9 15.0 - - 8.1 2.6 - - - 4.7 5.1 12.5 .409 - - - 4.8 6.7 .716
Gary Payton 21 43.4 20.7 0.9 4.2 5.1 6.8 1.8 0.3 3.0 3.3 7.7 15.9 .485 2.0 4.8 .410 3.3 5.2 .633

Season 7

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1965-661996-97
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 76 30.5 15.4 - - 8.7 2.2 - - - 3.4 5.4 11.8 .457 - - - 4.6 5.9 .787
Gary Payton 82 39.2 21.8 1.3 3.3 4.6 7.1 2.4 0.2 2.6 2.5 8.6 18.1 .476 1.5 4.6 .313 3.1 4.3 .715
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 14 28.4 11.9 - - 7.1 1.9 - - - 3.4 4.1 8.9 .460 - - - 3.8 4.8 .791
Gary Payton 12 45.6 23.8 1.7 3.8 5.4 8.7 2.2 0.3 2.9 2.2 8.8 21.3 .412 2.1 6.3 .333 4.2 5.1 .820

Season 8

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1966-671997-98
Team Los Angeles LakersSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 45 28.7 12.8 - - 7.8 1.7 - - - 3.3 4.7 11.3 .415 - - - 3.5 5.0 .696
Gary Payton 82 38.4 19.2 0.9 3.6 4.6 8.3 2.3 0.2 2.8 2.4 7.1 15.6 .453 1.6 4.8 .338 3.4 4.6 .744
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 10 42.7 24.0 0.9 2.5 3.4 7.0 1.8 0.1 2.6 3.1 8.7 18.3 .475 1.9 5.0 .380 4.7 5.0 .940

Season 9

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1967-681998-99
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 79 35.7 21.8 - - 9.4 2.3 - - - 4.3 7.6 17.6 .433 - - - 6.6 8.4 .790
Gary Payton 50 40.2 21.7 1.2 3.6 4.9 8.7 2.2 0.2 3.1 2.3 8.0 18.5 .434 1.7 5.6 .295 4.0 5.5 .721
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 10 38.5 20.3 - - 9.9 1.7 - - - 3.5 7.2 18.2 .396 - - - 5.9 8.1 .728
Gary Payton ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season 1968-691999-00
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Div SemisSupersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso 75 37.1 20.7 - - 8.3 2.1 - - - 3.6 7.4 18.0 .410 - - - 5.9 7.5 .794
Gary Payton 82 41.8 24.2 1.2 5.2 6.5 8.9 1.9 0.2 2.7 2.2 9.1 20.3 .448 2.2 6.3 .340 3.8 5.2 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso 6 35.8 18.2 - - 8.5 2.5 - - - 3.8 5.7 15.0 .378 - - - 6.8 8.8 .774
Gary Payton 5 44.2 25.8 1.6 6.0 7.6 7.4 1.8 0.2 3.6 3.2 10.0 22.6 .442 1.8 4.6 .391 4.0 5.2 .769

Season 11

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2000-01
Team -Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 79 41.1 23.1 0.9 3.6 4.6 8.1 1.6 0.3 2.6 2.3 9.2 20.1 .456 1.3 3.4 .375 3.4 4.5 .766
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2001-02
Team -Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Supersonics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 82 40.3 22.1 1.0 3.9 4.8 9.0 1.6 0.3 2.5 2.2 9.0 19.2 .467 0.9 2.9 .314 3.3 4.1 .797
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 5 41.2 22.2 2.0 6.6 8.6 5.8 0.6 0.4 2.6 2.4 9.0 21.2 .425 0.8 3.0 .267 3.4 5.8 .586

Season 13

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2002-03
Team -Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Bucks 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 %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 80 40.1 20.4 1.0 3.2 4.2 8.3 1.7 0.3 2.3 2.3 8.3 18.3 .454 0.7 2.3 .297 3.1 4.4 .710
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 6 41.8 18.5 0.7 2.3 3.0 8.7 1.3 0.2 2.2 3.0 8.0 18.7 .429 0.2 2.5 .067 2.3 3.3 .700

Season 14

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2003-04
Team -Los Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Lakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 82 34.5 14.6 0.9 3.3 4.2 5.5 1.2 0.2 1.8 2.1 5.9 12.5 .471 0.7 2.0 .333 2.2 3.1 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 22 35.0 7.8 0.9 2.4 3.3 5.3 1.0 0.2 1.3 2.7 3.1 8.5 .366 0.6 2.5 .250 1.0 1.3 .750

Season 15

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2004-05
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Celtics 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 %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 77 33.0 11.3 0.6 2.4 3.1 6.1 1.1 0.2 1.9 1.6 4.4 9.4 .468 0.5 1.7 .326 2.0 2.6 .761
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 7 34.1 10.3 1.1 3.0 4.1 4.6 0.9 0.1 1.6 1.4 4.7 10.6 .446 0.1 2.0 .071 0.7 0.9 .833

Season 16

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2005-06
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 81 28.5 7.7 0.4 2.5 2.9 3.2 0.9 0.1 1.3 2.1 2.8 6.8 .420 0.8 2.8 .287 1.2 1.6 .794
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 23 24.3 5.8 0.3 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.0 0.1 0.8 2.4 2.1 5.0 .422 0.7 2.5 .293 0.8 1.1 .720

Season 17

Rudy LaRusso Gary Payton
Season -2006-07
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Heat 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 %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 68 22.1 5.3 0.3 1.7 1.9 3.0 0.6 0.0 1.0 1.7 2.1 5.4 .393 0.5 1.8 .260 0.6 0.8 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rudy LaRusso ------- --- ----------
Gary Payton 2 16.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 2.0 1.5 0.0 1.5 .000 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 -