Spencer Haywood vs. Jameer Nelson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jameer Nelson and Spencer Haywood, 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.

Spencer Haywood played 12 years in the NBA, 2 less than Jameer Nelson, who played 14. Spencer Haywood had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Jameer Nelson had his rookie season in 2004-05. 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
Spencer Haywood 12 4 1970-71 to 1982-83
Jameer Nelson 14 6 2004-05 to 2017-18

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1970-712004-05
Team Seattle SupersonicsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
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 %
Spencer Haywood 33 35.2 20.6 - - 12.0 1.5 - - - 2.5 7.9 17.5 .449 - - - 4.8 6.6 .734
Jameer Nelson 79 20.4 8.7 0.7 1.8 2.4 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.5 2.5 3.6 7.9 .455 0.6 1.8 .312 0.9 1.4 .682
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1971-722005-06
Team Seattle SupersonicsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA 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 %
Spencer Haywood 73 43.4 26.2 - - 12.7 2.0 - - - 2.8 9.8 21.3 .461 - - - 6.6 8.0 .819
Jameer Nelson 62 28.8 14.6 0.6 2.3 2.9 4.9 1.1 0.1 2.4 2.8 5.6 11.6 .483 1.1 2.7 .424 2.3 2.9 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1972-732006-07
Team Seattle SupersonicsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic 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 %
Spencer Haywood 77 42.3 29.2 - - 12.9 2.5 - - - 2.8 11.5 24.3 .476 - - - 6.1 7.3 .839
Jameer Nelson 77 30.3 13.0 0.6 2.4 3.1 4.3 0.9 0.1 2.4 2.9 4.9 11.4 .430 0.8 2.5 .335 2.4 2.9 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 4 32.3 14.3 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.3 0.8 0.0 2.3 4.8 5.3 12.5 .420 1.3 3.5 .357 2.5 2.8 .909

Season 4

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1973-742007-08
Team Seattle SupersonicsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 75 40.5 23.5 4.2 9.2 13.4 3.2 0.9 1.4 - 2.6 9.3 20.3 .457 - - - 5.0 6.1 .814
Jameer Nelson 69 28.4 10.9 0.4 3.1 3.5 5.6 0.9 0.1 2.0 2.4 4.1 8.7 .469 0.9 2.2 .416 1.8 2.2 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 10 33.3 16.2 0.4 3.7 4.1 4.7 0.3 0.2 2.1 4.3 5.7 11.3 .504 2.0 4.1 .488 2.8 3.7 .757

Season 5

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1974-752008-09
Team Seattle SupersonicsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf SemisMagic Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 68 37.2 22.4 2.9 6.4 9.3 2.0 0.8 1.6 - 2.5 8.9 19.5 .459 - - - 4.5 5.6 .811
Jameer Nelson 42 31.2 16.7 0.5 3.0 3.5 5.4 1.2 0.1 2.0 2.9 6.4 12.6 .503 2.0 4.3 .453 2.0 2.3 .887
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 9 37.4 15.7 2.2 6.8 9.0 2.0 0.8 1.2 - 3.2 5.2 14.6 .359 - - - 5.2 6.8 .770
Jameer Nelson 5 18.0 3.8 0.2 1.2 1.4 2.8 0.2 0.0 1.4 0.6 1.6 4.6 .348 0.2 1.2 .167 0.4 0.8 .500

Season 6

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1975-762009-10
Team New York KnicksOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic 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 %
Spencer Haywood 78 37.1 19.9 3.0 8.3 11.3 1.2 0.7 1.0 - 3.3 7.8 17.4 .445 - - - 4.3 5.7 .757
Jameer Nelson 65 28.6 12.6 0.4 2.6 3.0 5.4 0.7 0.0 2.1 2.3 4.9 10.9 .449 1.3 3.5 .381 1.5 1.8 .845
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 14 34.2 19.0 0.6 2.9 3.6 4.8 1.0 0.0 2.5 2.7 6.5 13.6 .479 2.4 6.0 .393 3.6 4.4 .823

Season 7

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1976-772010-11
Team New York KnicksOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayMagic 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 %
Spencer Haywood 31 32.9 16.5 2.5 6.5 9.0 1.6 0.5 0.9 - 2.3 6.5 14.5 .450 - - - 3.5 4.2 .832
Jameer Nelson 76 30.5 13.1 0.5 2.5 3.0 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.6 2.8 4.9 11.0 .446 1.6 3.9 .401 1.7 2.1 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 6 36.0 13.2 1.2 3.0 4.2 5.0 2.0 0.0 1.3 2.3 5.2 13.7 .378 1.0 4.3 .231 1.8 2.3 .786

Season 8

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1977-782011-12
Team New York KnicksOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisMagic 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 %
Spencer Haywood 67 26.3 13.7 2.1 4.5 6.6 1.9 0.6 1.1 2.1 2.8 6.1 12.7 .484 - - - 1.4 2.0 .711
Jameer Nelson 57 29.9 11.9 0.5 2.7 3.2 5.7 0.7 0.1 2.4 2.3 4.5 10.6 .427 1.5 4.1 .377 1.2 1.5 .807
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 6 29.5 16.2 3.2 3.8 7.0 2.0 0.3 0.8 1.7 4.0 7.2 14.2 .506 - - - 1.8 1.8 1.000
Jameer Nelson 5 36.4 15.6 0.2 3.6 3.8 6.6 0.8 0.2 2.0 2.6 5.8 14.8 .392 1.6 5.0 .320 2.4 3.2 .750

Season 9

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1978-792012-13
Team New York Knicks, New Orleans JazzOrlando Magic
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 %
Spencer Haywood 68 34.7 20.9 2.5 5.3 7.8 1.9 0.6 1.2 2.9 3.5 8.8 17.7 .494 - - - 3.4 4.3 .791
Jameer Nelson 56 35.3 14.7 0.4 3.3 3.7 7.4 1.3 0.1 2.8 2.9 5.5 13.9 .392 2.2 6.3 .341 1.6 1.8 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1979-802013-14
Team Los Angeles LakersOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 76 20.3 9.7 1.7 2.8 4.6 1.2 0.5 0.8 1.8 2.6 3.8 7.8 .487 0.0 0.1 .250 2.1 2.7 .772
Jameer Nelson 68 32.0 12.1 0.4 3.0 3.4 7.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 2.1 4.3 11.0 .394 2.0 5.8 .348 1.4 1.6 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 11 13.2 5.7 1.3 1.1 2.4 0.4 0.0 0.5 1.8 1.5 2.3 4.8 .472 0.0 0.1 .000 1.2 1.5 .813
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Note: Spencer Haywood didn't play in 1980-81.

Season 11

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1981-822014-15
Team Washington BulletsDallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 76 27.4 13.3 1.9 3.7 5.6 0.8 0.6 0.9 2.3 3.3 5.2 10.9 .476 0.0 0.0 .000 2.9 3.4 .842
Jameer Nelson 63 22.3 8.3 0.5 1.8 2.3 4.0 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.2 3.3 8.0 .407 1.4 4.1 .345 0.4 0.6 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood 7 33.0 20.0 2.3 3.3 5.6 1.0 0.6 2.0 2.1 4.0 8.1 16.4 .496 0.0 0.0 - 3.7 5.0 .743
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season 1982-832015-16
Team Washington BulletsDenver Nuggets
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 %
Spencer Haywood 38 20.4 8.2 2.0 2.8 4.8 0.8 0.3 0.7 1.8 2.5 3.3 8.2 .401 0.0 0.0 .000 1.7 2.3 .724
Jameer Nelson 39 26.6 7.7 0.5 2.5 2.9 4.9 0.6 0.1 1.7 2.6 2.9 7.9 .368 1.1 3.7 .299 0.8 0.9 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season -2016-17
Team -Denver Nuggets
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 %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 75 27.3 9.2 0.4 2.2 2.6 5.1 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.6 3.6 8.1 .444 1.4 3.6 .388 0.6 0.8 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Spencer Haywood Jameer Nelson
Season -2017-18
Team -New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons
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 %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson 50 20.3 4.9 0.3 1.8 2.1 3.6 0.5 0.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 4.9 .389 0.8 2.5 .331 0.3 0.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Spencer Haywood ------- --- ----------
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------