Sam Lacey vs. Willis Reed Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Willis Reed and Sam Lacey, 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.

Sam Lacey played 13 years in the NBA, 3 more than Willis Reed, who played 10. Sam Lacey had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Willis Reed had his rookie season in 1964-65. 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
Sam Lacey 13 4 1970-71 to 1982-83
Willis Reed 10 7 1964-65 to 1973-74

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1970-711964-65
Team Cincinnati RoyalsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First 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 %
Sam Lacey 81 32.7 13.5 - - 11.3 1.4 - - - 3.3 5.8 13.8 .418 - - - 1.9 2.8 .687
Willis Reed 80 38.0 19.5 - - 14.7 1.7 - - - 4.2 7.9 18.2 .432 - - - 3.8 5.1 .742
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1971-721965-66
Team Cincinnati RoyalsNew York Knicks
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 %
Sam Lacey 81 35.0 11.6 - - 12.0 2.1 - - - 3.5 5.1 12.0 .422 - - - 1.5 2.1 .704
Willis Reed 76 33.4 15.5 - - 11.6 1.2 - - - 4.3 5.8 13.3 .434 - - - 4.0 5.3 .757
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1972-731966-67
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayKnicks Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 79 37.1 13.5 - - 11.8 2.4 - - - 3.6 6.0 12.6 .474 - - - 1.6 2.3 .708
Willis Reed 78 36.2 20.9 - - 14.6 1.6 - - - 3.8 8.1 16.6 .489 - - - 4.6 6.2 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed 4 37.0 27.5 - - 13.8 1.8 - - - 4.8 10.8 20.0 .538 - - - 6.0 6.3 .960

Season 4

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1973-741967-68
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayKnicks Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 79 39.3 14.2 3.7 9.6 13.4 3.8 1.6 2.3 - 3.2 5.9 12.4 .476 - - - 2.3 3.1 .749
Willis Reed 81 35.5 20.8 - - 13.2 2.0 - - - 4.2 8.1 16.6 .490 - - - 4.5 6.3 .721
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed 6 35.0 21.3 - - 10.3 1.8 - - - 4.0 8.8 16.3 .541 - - - 3.7 5.0 .733

Season 5

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1974-751968-69
Team Kansas City-Omaha KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Kings Lost West Conf SemisKnicks Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 81 41.7 11.5 2.8 11.4 14.2 5.3 1.7 2.1 - 3.4 4.8 11.3 .427 - - - 1.8 2.4 .754
Willis Reed 82 37.9 21.1 - - 14.5 2.3 - - - 3.8 8.6 16.5 .521 - - - 4.0 5.3 .747
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 6 44.0 9.5 2.5 13.2 15.7 5.0 2.0 1.5 - 3.2 3.8 10.2 .377 - - - 1.8 3.0 .611
Willis Reed 10 42.9 25.7 - - 14.1 1.9 - - - 4.0 10.1 19.8 .510 - - - 5.5 7.0 .786

Season 6

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1975-761969-70
Team Kansas City KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
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 %
Sam Lacey 81 38.1 12.8 2.7 10.0 12.6 4.7 1.6 1.7 - 3.5 5.0 12.6 .401 - - - 2.7 3.5 .759
Willis Reed 81 38.1 21.7 - - 13.9 2.0 - - - 3.5 8.7 17.1 .507 - - - 4.3 5.7 .756
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed 18 40.7 23.7 - - 13.8 2.8 - - - 3.3 9.9 21.0 .471 - - - 3.9 5.3 .737

Season 7

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1976-771970-71
Team Kansas City KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayKnicks 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 %
Sam Lacey 82 31.6 10.6 2.3 6.6 9.0 4.7 1.5 1.6 - 3.6 4.0 9.4 .422 - - - 2.6 3.4 .762
Willis Reed 73 39.1 20.9 - - 13.7 2.0 - - - 3.1 8.4 18.2 .462 - - - 4.1 5.2 .785
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed 12 42.0 15.7 - - 12.0 2.3 - - - 3.4 6.8 16.3 .413 - - - 2.2 3.3 .667

Season 8

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1977-781971-72
Team Kansas City KingsNew York Knicks
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 %
Sam Lacey 77 27.7 8.6 2.0 6.3 8.3 3.9 1.6 1.4 2.4 3.4 3.4 7.7 .449 - - - 1.7 2.4 .717
Willis Reed 11 33.0 13.4 - - 8.7 2.0 - - - 2.7 5.5 12.5 .438 - - - 2.5 3.5 .692
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1978-791972-73
Team Kansas City KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Playoffs Kings 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 %
Sam Lacey 82 32.0 10.6 2.2 6.4 8.6 5.2 1.3 1.7 3.0 3.8 4.3 8.5 .502 - - - 2.0 2.8 .739
Willis Reed 69 27.2 11.0 - - 8.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 4.8 10.2 .474 - - - 1.3 1.8 .742
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 5 35.2 9.4 3.4 6.8 10.2 4.2 1.8 2.0 3.8 4.0 3.2 8.4 .381 - - - 3.0 3.8 .789
Willis Reed 17 28.6 12.5 - - 7.6 1.8 - - - 3.8 5.7 12.2 .466 - - - 1.1 1.2 .857

Season 10

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1979-801973-74
Team Kansas City KingsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Kings Lost West Conf 1st RdKnicks 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 %
Sam Lacey 81 29.8 9.2 2.1 5.8 8.0 5.7 1.4 1.3 2.6 3.8 3.7 8.4 .448 0.0 0.0 .000 1.7 2.3 .741
Willis Reed 19 26.3 11.1 2.5 4.9 7.4 1.6 0.6 1.1 - 2.6 4.4 9.7 .457 - - - 2.2 2.8 .792
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 3 33.7 6.7 2.0 5.3 7.3 4.3 2.3 0.7 2.7 3.7 2.7 7.0 .381 0.3 0.3 1.000 1.0 1.3 .750
Willis Reed 11 12.0 3.4 0.4 1.6 2.0 0.4 0.2 0.0 - 2.4 1.5 4.1 .378 - - - 0.3 0.5 .600

Season 11

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1980-81-
Team Kansas City Kings-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Kings 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 %
Sam Lacey 82 27.2 6.9 1.6 5.5 7.1 4.9 1.2 1.5 2.2 3.7 2.9 6.5 .442 0.0 0.1 .200 1.1 1.4 .786
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey 15 35.5 10.0 2.0 6.0 8.0 5.3 1.9 1.5 2.6 4.2 4.0 9.5 .420 0.0 0.2 .000 2.0 2.3 .857
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1981-82-
Team Kansas City Kings, 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 %
Sam Lacey 56 12.0 2.9 0.4 1.6 1.9 1.4 0.4 0.7 1.0 2.5 1.2 2.8 .435 0.0 0.0 .000 0.5 0.7 .730
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Sam Lacey Willis Reed
Season 1982-83-
Team Cleveland Cavaliers-
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 %
Sam Lacey 60 20.5 4.2 1.0 2.8 3.9 2.0 0.5 0.4 1.6 3.5 1.9 4.4 .420 0.0 0.2 .222 0.5 0.6 .784
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Sam Lacey ------- --- ----------
Willis Reed ------- --- ----------