Shaquille O'Neal vs. Jerry West Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jerry West and Shaquille O'Neal, 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 / 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.

Shaquille O'Neal played 19 years in the NBA, 5 more than Jerry West, who played 14. Shaquille O'Neal had the first of his seasons in 1992-93, while Jerry West had his rookie season in 1960-61. 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
Shaquille O'Neal 19 17 1992-93 to 2010-11
Jerry West 14 13 1960-61 to 1973-74

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1992-931960-61
Team Orlando MagicLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did not playLakers Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 81 37.9 23.4 4.2 9.6 13.9 1.9 0.7 3.5 3.8 4.0 9.0 16.1 .562 0.0 0.0 - 5.3 8.9 .592
difference:+2+2.5+5.8+6.2+2.3-1.3+2.3+0.1+.143+1.1+2.6+.074
Jerry West 79 35.4 17.6 - - 7.7 4.2 - - - 2.7 6.7 16.0 .419 - - - 4.2 6.3 .666
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal DNP------ --- ----------
Jerry West 12 38.4 22.9 - - 8.7 5.3 - - - 3.3 8.3 16.8 .490 - - - 6.4 8.8 .726

Season 2

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1993-941961-62
Team Orlando MagicLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf 1st RdLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 81 39.8 29.3 4.7 8.5 13.2 2.4 0.9 2.9 2.7 3.5 11.8 19.6 .599 0.0 0.0 - 5.8 10.5 .554
difference:+6+1.4+1.5+5.3+3.0-1.2+1.1+4.3+.154+3.7+1.8+.215
Jerry West 75 41.2 30.8 - - 7.9 5.4 - - - 2.3 10.7 23.9 .445 - - - 9.5 12.3 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 3 42.0 20.7 5.7 7.7 13.3 2.3 0.7 3.0 3.3 4.3 7.7 15.0 .511 0.0 0.0 - 5.3 11.3 .471
difference:+10+0.8+10.8+6.5+2.1-1.4+3.4+8.8+.046+4.0+0.2+.336
Jerry West 13 42.8 31.5 - - 6.8 4.4 - - - 2.9 11.1 23.8 .465 - - - 9.3 11.5 .807

Season 3

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1994-951962-63
Team Orlando MagicLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost NBA FinalsLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 79 37.0 29.3 4.2 7.3 11.4 2.7 0.9 2.4 2.6 3.3 11.8 20.2 .583 0.0 0.1 .000 5.8 10.8 .533
difference:+24+2.3+2.2+4.4+2.9-0.6+1.6+1.9+.122+0.9+2.1+.245
Jerry West 55 39.3 27.1 - - 7.0 5.6 - - - 2.7 10.2 22.1 .461 - - - 6.7 8.7 .778
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 21 38.3 25.7 4.5 7.4 11.9 3.3 0.9 1.9 3.5 4.0 9.3 16.1 .577 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 12.4 .571
difference:+8+3.1+2.1+3.7+1.4-1.4+1.8+5.9+.074+1.4+4.7+.169
Jerry West 13 41.4 27.8 - - 8.2 4.7 - - - 2.6 11.1 22.0 .503 - - - 5.7 7.7 .740

Season 4

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1995-961963-64
Team Orlando MagicLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf FinalsLakers Lost West Div Semis
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 54 36.0 26.6 3.4 7.7 11.0 2.9 0.6 2.1 2.9 3.6 11.0 19.1 .573 0.0 0.0 - 4.6 9.5 .487
difference:+18+4.4+2.1+5.0+2.7-0.8+0.7+2.1+.089+3.5+0.3+.345
Jerry West 72 40.4 28.7 - - 6.0 5.6 - - - 2.8 10.3 21.2 .484 - - - 8.1 9.8 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 12 38.3 25.8 4.1 5.9 10.0 4.6 0.8 1.3 3.7 3.3 10.9 18.0 .606 0.0 0.0 - 4.0 10.2 .393
difference:+7+2.9+5.4+2.8+1.2-0.7+0.5+5.0+.110+4.4+0.4+.399
Jerry West 5 41.2 31.2 - - 7.2 3.4 - - - 4.0 11.4 23.0 .496 - - - 8.4 10.6 .792

Season 5

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1996-971964-65
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 51 38.1 26.2 3.8 8.7 12.5 3.1 0.9 2.9 2.9 3.5 10.8 19.4 .557 0.0 0.1 .000 4.5 9.4 .484
difference:+23+3.3+4.8+6.5+1.8-0.5+0.3+3.0+.060+4.3+1.3+.337
Jerry West 74 41.4 31.0 - - 6.0 4.9 - - - 3.0 11.1 22.4 .497 - - - 8.8 10.7 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 9 36.2 26.9 4.2 6.3 10.6 3.2 0.6 1.9 2.4 4.1 9.9 19.2 .514 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 11.7 .610
difference:+2+6.5+13.7+4.9+2.1-0.7+4.2+12.7+.072+5.4+2.3+.280
Jerry West 11 42.7 40.6 - - 5.7 5.3 - - - 3.4 14.1 31.9 .442 - - - 12.5 14.0 .890

Season 6

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1997-981965-66
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf FinalsLakers Lost NBA 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%
Shaquille O'Neal 60 36.3 28.3 3.5 7.9 11.4 2.4 0.7 2.4 2.9 3.2 11.2 19.1 .584 0.0 0.0 - 6.0 11.4 .527
difference:+19+4.4+3.0+4.3+3.7-0.1+0.8+2.8+.111+4.6+1.0+.333
Jerry West 79 40.7 31.3 - - 7.1 6.1 - - - 3.1 10.4 21.9 .473 - - - 10.6 12.4 .860
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 13 38.5 30.5 3.7 6.5 10.2 2.9 0.5 2.6 3.3 3.2 12.2 19.8 .612 0.0 0.0 - 6.2 12.2 .503
difference:+1+5.7+3.7+3.9+2.7-0.3+1.0+5.7+.094+1.6+3.3+.369
Jerry West 14 44.2 34.2 - - 6.3 5.6 - - - 2.9 13.2 25.5 .518 - - - 7.8 8.9 .872

Season 7

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1998-991966-67
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisLakers Lost West Div Semis
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 49 34.8 26.3 3.8 6.9 10.7 2.3 0.7 1.7 2.5 3.2 10.4 18.1 .576 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 10.2 .540
difference:+17+5.7+2.4+4.8+4.5-0.8+0.6+2.9+.112+3.6+0.2+.338
Jerry West 66 40.5 28.7 - - 5.9 6.8 - - - 2.4 9.8 21.0 .464 - - - 9.1 10.4 .878
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 8 39.4 26.6 5.5 6.1 11.6 2.3 0.9 2.9 2.3 3.6 9.9 19.4 .510 0.0 0.0 - 6.9 14.8 .466
difference:+7+38.4+26.6+10.6+2.3-3.6+9.9+19.4+6.9+14.8
Jerry West 1 1.0 0.0 - - 1.0 0.0 - - - 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 8

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 1999-001967-68
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 79 40.0 29.7 4.3 9.4 13.6 3.8 0.5 3.0 2.8 3.2 12.1 21.1 .574 0.0 0.0 - 5.5 10.4 .524
difference:+28+2.4+3.4+7.8+2.3-0.2+2.8+2.9+.060+2.2+0.9+.287
Jerry West 51 37.6 26.3 - - 5.8 6.1 - - - 3.0 9.3 18.2 .514 - - - 7.7 9.5 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 23 43.5 30.7 5.2 10.3 15.4 3.1 0.6 2.4 2.4 2.9 12.4 22.0 .566 0.0 0.0 - 5.9 12.9 .456
difference:+8+2.0+0.1+10.0+2.4-0.2+1.4+1.1+.039+2.9+1.6+.325
Jerry West 15 41.5 30.8 - - 5.4 5.5 - - - 3.1 11.0 20.9 .527 - - - 8.8 11.3 .781

Season 9

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2000-011968-69
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVPAchievement Finals MVP
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second TeamAchievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 74 39.5 28.7 3.9 8.8 12.7 3.7 0.6 2.8 2.9 3.5 11.0 19.2 .572 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 13.1 .513
difference:+13+0.3+2.8+8.4+3.2-0.9+2.1+0.2+.101+1.3+3.3+.308
Jerry West 61 39.2 25.9 - - 4.3 6.9 - - - 2.6 8.9 19.0 .471 - - - 8.0 9.8 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 16 42.3 30.4 5.7 9.8 15.4 3.2 0.4 2.4 3.6 3.4 11.9 21.5 .555 0.0 0.0 - 6.6 12.5 .525
difference:+2+0.2+0.5+11.5+4.3-0.5+1.0+2.0+.092+2.5+1.2+.279
Jerry West 18 42.1 30.9 - - 3.9 7.5 - - - 2.9 10.9 23.5 .463 - - - 9.1 11.3 .804

Season 10

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2001-021969-70
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 67 36.1 27.2 3.5 7.2 10.7 3.0 0.6 2.0 2.6 3.0 10.6 18.3 .579 0.0 0.0 - 5.9 10.7 .555
difference:+7+5.9+4.0+6.1+4.5-0.8+0.6+4.3+.082+2.8+0.1+.269
Jerry West 74 42.0 31.2 - - 4.6 7.5 - - - 2.2 11.2 22.6 .497 - - - 8.7 10.6 .824
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 19 40.8 28.5 3.5 9.1 12.6 2.8 0.5 2.5 3.3 3.3 10.7 20.2 .529 0.0 0.0 - 7.1 10.9 .649
difference:+1+5.3+2.7+8.9+5.6-0.2+0.2+3.0+.060+2.3+0.9+.153
Jerry West 18 46.1 31.2 - - 3.7 8.4 - - - 3.1 10.9 23.2 .469 - - - 9.4 11.8 .802

Season 11

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2002-031970-71
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisDid 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%
Shaquille O'Neal 67 37.8 27.5 3.9 7.2 11.1 3.1 0.6 2.4 2.9 3.4 10.4 18.1 .574 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 10.8 .622
difference:+2+3.4+0.6+6.5+6.4-0.8+0.7+1.5+.080+0.9+1.7+.210
Jerry West 69 41.2 26.9 - - 4.6 9.5 - - - 2.6 9.7 19.6 .494 - - - 7.6 9.1 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 12 40.1 27.0 5.3 9.6 14.8 3.7 0.6 2.8 2.9 2.8 10.1 18.8 .535 0.0 0.0 - 6.8 11.0 .621
Jerry West DNP------ --- ----------

Season 12

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2003-041971-72
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVPAchievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 67 36.8 21.5 3.7 7.8 11.5 2.9 0.5 2.5 2.9 3.4 8.3 14.1 .584 0.0 0.0 - 4.9 10.1 .490
difference:+10+1.8+4.3+7.3+6.8-0.7+1.2+5.9+.107+1.8+1.9+.324
Jerry West 77 38.6 25.8 - - 4.2 9.7 - - - 2.7 9.5 20.0 .477 - - - 6.7 8.2 .814
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 22 41.9 21.5 4.1 9.1 13.2 2.5 0.3 2.8 2.5 4.1 8.3 14.0 .593 0.0 0.0 - 5.0 11.5 .429
difference:+7+1.4+1.4+8.3+6.4-1.5+0.2+8.7+.217+0.9+4.4+.401
Jerry West 15 40.5 22.9 - - 4.9 8.9 - - - 2.6 8.5 22.7 .376 - - - 5.9 7.1 .830

Season 13

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2004-051972-73
Team Miami HeatLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf FinalsLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 73 34.1 22.9 3.5 6.9 10.4 2.7 0.5 2.3 2.8 3.6 9.0 15.0 .601 0.0 0.0 - 4.8 10.5 .461
difference:+4+1.6+0.1+6.2+6.1-1.6+3.7+.122+0.1+4.4+.344
Jerry West 69 35.7 22.8 - - 4.2 8.8 - - - 2.0 9.0 18.7 .479 - - - 4.9 6.1 .805
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 13 33.0 19.4 1.5 6.4 7.8 1.9 0.4 1.5 3.2 4.0 7.8 13.9 .558 0.0 0.0 - 3.8 8.2 .472
difference:+4+4.5+4.2+3.3+5.9-1.1+1.1+5.9+.109+2.0+0.7+.308
Jerry West 17 37.5 23.6 - - 4.5 7.8 - - - 2.9 8.9 19.8 .449 - - - 5.8 7.5 .780

Season 14

Shaquille O'Neal Jerry West
Season 2005-061973-74
Team Miami HeatLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 59 30.6 20.0 2.9 6.3 9.2 1.9 0.4 1.8 2.8 3.9 8.1 13.6 .600 0.0 0.0 - 3.7 8.0 .469
difference:+28+0.6+0.3+1.9+3.5+5.5+4.7+2.2+1.1-1.3+0.6+3.1+.153+1.6+1.6+.364
Jerry West 31 31.2 20.3 1.0 2.8 3.7 6.6 2.6 0.7 - 2.6 7.5 16.7 .447 - - - 5.3 6.4 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Shaquille O'Neal 23 33.0 18.4 3.3 6.5 9.8 1.7 0.5 1.5 3.7 3.7 7.7 12.7 .612 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 7.9 .374
difference:+22+19.0+14.4+3.3+4.5+7.8+0.7+0.5+1.5-2.7+5.7+3.7+.390+3.0+7.9
Jerry West 1 14.0 4.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 2.0 9.0 .222 - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Additional Years

* Shaquille O'Neal played 5 seasons more than Jerry West in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 15 to 19, from 2007 to 2011—Shaquille O'Neal played in 4 Playoffs.

In those 5 extra years over Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 2 All-Star Game
Achievement 1 All-Star Game MVP