Tim Duncan vs. Yao Ming Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Yao Ming and Tim Duncan, 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
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.
Tim Duncan played 19 years in the NBA, 11 more than Yao Ming, who played 8. Tim Duncan had the first of his seasons in 1997-98, while Yao Ming had his rookie season in 2002-03. 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 |
| Tim Duncan | 19 | 18 | 1997-98 to 2015-16 |
| Yao Ming | 8 | 4 | 2002-03 to 2010-11 |
Rookie Season |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 1997-98 | 2002-03 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards |  All-NBA First Team | - |
| All-Defensive Second Team | - | |
| Rookie of the Year | - | |
| All-Rookie First Team | All-Rookie First Team | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Spurs Lost West Conf Semis | Did Not Play |
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 82 | 39.1 | 21.1 | 3.3 | 8.6 | 11.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 8.6 | 15.7 | .549 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 3.9 | 5.9 | .662 |
| difference: | +10.1 | +7.6 | +0.9 | +2.8 | +3.7 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.7 | -1.3 | -0.3 | +3.7 | +5.9 | +.051 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +1.4 | +.149 | |||
| Yao Ming | 82 | 29.0 | 13.5 | 2.4 | 5.8 | 8.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 4.9 | 9.8 | .498 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 3.7 | 4.5 | .811 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 9 | 41.6 | 20.7 | 2.2 | 6.8 | 9.0 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 8.1 | 15.6 | .521 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 4.4 | 6.7 | .667 |
| Yao Ming | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Season 2 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 1998-99 | 2003-04 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | Finals MVP | - |
| All-NBA First Team | - | |
| - | All-NBA Third Team | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| - | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs |  NBA Champion | Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd |
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 50 | 39.3 | 21.7 | 3.2 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 8.4 | 16.9 | .495 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .143 | 4.9 | 7.2 | .690 |
| difference: | +32 | +6.5 | +4.2 | +0.8 | +1.6 | +2.4 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.6 | -0.4 | -0.4 | +1.9 | +4.4 | +.027 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +1.8 | +.119 | ||
| Yao Ming | 82 | 32.8 | 17.5 | 2.4 | 6.6 | 9.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 12.5 | .522 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 4.4 | 5.4 | .809 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 17 | 43.1 | 23.2 | 3.2 | 8.2 | 11.5 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 8.5 | 16.6 | .511 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .000 | 6.3 | 8.4 | .748 |
| difference: | +12 | +5.5 | +8.2 | +1.0 | +3.0 | +4.1 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +1.2 | -0.5 | -1.1 | +2.3 | +3.0 | +.055 | +0.2 | +3.7 | +5.0 | +.017 | ||
| Yao Ming | 5 | 37.6 | 15.0 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 13.6 | .456 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 2.6 | 3.4 | .765 |
Season 3 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 1999-00 | 2004-05 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | All-NBA First Team | - |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| All-Star Game MVP | - | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd |
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 74 | 38.9 | 23.2 | 3.5 | 8.9 | 12.4 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 8.5 | 17.3 | .490 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .091 | 6.2 | 8.1 | .761 |
| difference: | +6 | +8.3 | +4.9 | +0.9 | +3.1 | +4.0 | +2.4 | +0.5 | +0.2 | -0.8 | -0.9 | +1.8 | +5.1 | +.062 | +0.1 | +1.3 | +1.9 | +.022 | ||
| Yao Ming | 80 | 30.6 | 18.3 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 8.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 12.2 | .552 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 4.9 | 6.2 | .783 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Yao Ming | 7 | 31.9 | 21.4 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 7.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 7.9 | 12.0 | .655 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.7 | 7.9 | .727 |
Season 4 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 2000-01 | 2005-06 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | All-NBA First Team | - |
| - | All-NBA Third Team | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Spurs Lost West Conf Finals | Did Not Play |
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 82 | 38.7 | 22.2 | 3.2 | 9.0 | 12.2 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.6 | 17.1 | .499 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .259 | 5.0 | 8.1 | .618 |
| difference: | +25 | +4.5 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +2.0 | +1.5 | +0.4 | +0.7 | -0.4 | -0.4 | +0.4 | +1.3 | +.020 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +.235 | |
| Yao Ming | 57 | 34.2 | 22.3 | 2.6 | 7.6 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8.2 | 15.8 | .519 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.9 | 6.9 | .853 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 13 | 40.5 | 24.4 | 4.2 | 10.3 | 14.5 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 9.2 | 18.9 | .488 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.000 | 5.8 | 9.2 | .639 |
| Yao Ming | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Season 5 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 2001-02 | 2006-07 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | Season MVP | - |
| All-NBA First Team | - | |
| - | All-NBA Second Team | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Spurs Lost West Conf Semis | Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd |
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 82 | 40.6 | 25.5 | 3.3 | 9.4 | 12.7 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 9.3 | 18.3 | .508 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .100 | 6.8 | 8.5 | .799 |
| difference: | +34 | +6.8 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +2.1 | +3.3 | +1.7 | +0.3 | +0.5 | -0.3 | -0.7 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +.008 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +.063 | ||
| Yao Ming | 48 | 33.8 | 25.0 | 2.1 | 7.3 | 9.4 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 17.1 | .516 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 7.4 | 8.6 | .862 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 9 | 42.2 | 27.6 | 3.1 | 11.3 | 14.4 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 9.1 | 20.1 | .453 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .333 | 9.2 | 11.2 | .822 |
| difference: | +2 | +5.1 | +2.5 | +0.2 | +4.3 | +4.1 | +4.1 | +0.6 | +3.6 | -0.6 | -1.5 | +1.2 | +2.2 | +.013 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +.058 | |
| Yao Ming | 7 | 37.1 | 25.1 | 3.3 | 7.0 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 7.9 | 17.9 | .440 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 9.4 | 10.7 | .880 |
Season 6 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 2002-03 | 2007-08 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | Finals MVP | - |
| Season MVP | - | |
| All-NBA First Team | - | |
| - | All-NBA Third Team | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | NBA Champion | Did Not Play |
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 81 | 39.3 | 23.3 | 3.2 | 9.7 | 12.9 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 8.8 | 17.2 | .513 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .273 | 5.6 | 7.8 | .710 |
| difference: | +26 | +2.1 | +1.3 | +0.1 | +2.0 | +2.1 | +1.6 | +0.2 | +0.9 | -0.2 | -0.2 | +0.9 | +1.7 | +.006 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +.140 | |
| Yao Ming | 55 | 37.2 | 22.0 | 3.1 | 7.7 | 10.8 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 7.9 | 15.5 | .507 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 6.3 | 7.4 | .850 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 24 | 42.5 | 24.7 | 4.0 | 11.4 | 15.4 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 9.1 | 17.2 | .529 | 0.0 | 0.3 | .000 | 6.5 | 9.7 | .677 |
| Yao Ming | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Season 7 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 2003-04 | 2008-09 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | All-NBA First Team | - |
| - | All-NBA Second Team | |
| All-Defensive Second Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Spurs Lost West Conf Semis | Rockets Lost West Conf Semis |
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 69 | 36.6 | 22.3 | 3.3 | 9.2 | 12.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 8.6 | 17.1 | .501 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .167 | 5.1 | 8.5 | .599 |
| difference: | +8 | +3.0 | +2.6 | +0.7 | +2.0 | +2.5 | +1.3 | +0.5 | +0.8 | -0.3 | -0.9 | +1.2 | +3.7 | +.047 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +2.8 | +.267 | ||
| Yao Ming | 77 | 33.6 | 19.7 | 2.6 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 7.4 | 13.4 | .548 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 4.9 | 5.7 | .866 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 10 | 40.4 | 22.1 | 3.3 | 8.0 | 11.3 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 8.3 | 15.9 | .522 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 5.5 | 8.7 | .632 |
| difference: | +1 | +4.5 | +5.0 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +2.2 | +0.4 | +0.8 | -2.3 | -0.4 | +2.3 | +4.9 | +.023 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +3.0 | +.270 | ||
| Yao Ming | 9 | 35.9 | 17.1 | 2.1 | 8.8 | 10.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | .545 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.1 | 5.7 | .902 |
Note: Yao Ming didn't play in 2009-10.
Season 8 |
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| Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | |
| Season | 2004-05 | 2010-11 |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs | Houston Rockets |
| Honors & Awards | Finals MVP | - |
| All-NBA First Team | - | |
| All-Defensive First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | NBA Champion | Did Not Play |
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 66 | 33.4 | 20.3 | 3.1 | 8.0 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 7.8 | 15.8 | .496 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .333 | 4.6 | 6.9 | .670 |
| difference: | +61 | +15.2 | +10.1 | +1.7 | +4.0 | +5.7 | +1.9 | +0.7 | +1.0 | -0.5 | -0.4 | +4.2 | +8.4 | +.010 | +0.1 | +1.6 | +3.7 | +.268 | ||
| Yao Ming | 5 | 18.2 | 10.2 | 1.4 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 7.4 | .486 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 3.0 | 3.2 | .938 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Tim Duncan | 23 | 37.7 | 23.6 | 3.8 | 8.7 | 12.4 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 8.6 | 18.5 | .464 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .200 | 6.4 | 8.9 | .717 |
| Yao Ming | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Additional Years |
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* Tim Duncan played 11 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 9 to 19, from 2006 to 2016—Tim Duncan played in 11 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those 11 extra years over Yao Ming, Tim Duncan got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 2 All-NBA First Team 3 All-NBA Second Team 2 All-NBA Third Team 2 All-Defensive First Team 5 All-Defensive Second Team 8 All-Star Game |