Yao Ming vs. Rajon Rondo Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Rajon Rondo and Yao Ming, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

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.

Yao Ming played 8 years in the NBA, 8 less than Rajon Rondo, who played 16. Yao Ming had the first of his seasons in 2002-03, while Rajon Rondo had his rookie season in 2006-07. 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.

Rookie Season
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2002-03	2006-07
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-Rookie First Team	-
	-	All-Rookie Second Team
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Did Not Play

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Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+4	+5.5	+7.1	+1.5	+3.0	+4.5	+2.1	+1.2	+1.7	-0.3	-0.5	+2.5	+4.0	+.080	+0.1	+0.4		+2.2	+2.1	+.164
Rajon Rondo	78	23.5	6.4	0.9	2.8	3.7	3.8	1.6	0.1	1.8	2.3	2.4	5.8	.418	0.1	0.4	.207	1.5	2.4	.647
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Yao Ming nor Rajon Rondo played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2003-04	2007-08
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	-
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

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2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+5	+2.9	+6.9	+1.4	+3.4	+4.8	+3.6	+1.4	+1.7	-0.6	-0.9	+1.9	+3.2	+.030	+0.1	+0.2		+3.0	+3.1	+.198
Rajon Rondo	77	29.9	10.6	1.0	3.2	4.2	5.1	1.7	0.2	1.9	2.4	4.6	9.3	.492	0.1	0.2	.263	1.4	2.3	.611
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+21	+5.6	+4.8	+0.7	+2.6	+3.3	+4.8	+1.3	+1.1	-0.8	-1.2	+2.1	+3.5	+.049	+0.2	+0.8		+0.8	+0.8	+.074
Rajon Rondo	26	32.0	10.2	1.5	2.6	4.1	6.6	1.7	0.3	1.8	2.8	4.1	10.1	.407	0.2	0.8	.250	1.8	2.6	.691

Season 3
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2004-05	2008-09
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-Defensive Second Team
	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Celtics Lost East Conf Semis

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3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:		+2.4	+6.4	+1.3	+1.8	+3.2	+7.4	+1.5	+1.9	-0.1	-1.3	+1.9	+2.7	+.047	+0.2	+0.6		+2.7	+2.8	+.141
Rajon Rondo	80	33.0	11.9	1.3	4.0	5.2	8.2	1.9	0.1	2.6	2.4	4.8	9.5	.505	0.2	0.6	.313	2.2	3.4	.642
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+7	+9.3	+4.5	+1.0	+3.0	+2.0	+9.1	+2.2	+2.5		-1.0	+1.3	+3.9	+.238	+0.4	+1.7		+2.6	+3.1	+.070
Rajon Rondo	14	41.2	16.9	2.3	7.4	9.7	9.8	2.5	0.2	2.7	3.4	6.6	15.9	.417	0.4	1.7	.250	3.1	4.8	.657

Season 4
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2005-06	2009-10
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	-
	-	All-Defensive First Team
	-	Steals Leader
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Celtics Lost NBA Finals

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4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+24	+2.4	+8.6	+1.4	+4.4	+5.8	+8.3	+1.8	+1.5	-0.4	-1.0	+2.5	+4.6	+.011	+0.2	+1.0		+3.7	+3.4	+.232
Rajon Rondo	81	36.6	13.7	1.2	3.2	4.4	9.8	2.3	0.1	3.0	2.4	5.7	11.2	.508	0.2	1.0	.213	2.2	3.5	.621
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rajon Rondo	24	40.6	15.8	1.6	4.0	5.6	9.3	1.9	0.1	3.0	2.4	6.3	13.6	.463	0.4	1.0	.375	2.8	4.8	.596

Season 5
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2006-07	2010-11
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	-	All-Defensive First Team
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Celtics Lost East Conf Semis

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5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+20	+3.4	+14.4	+0.8	+4.2	+5.0	+9.2	+1.9	+1.8	-0.1	-1.5	+4.1	+7.2	+.041	+0.1	+0.6		+6.3	+6.7	+.294
Rajon Rondo	68	37.2	10.6	1.3	3.1	4.4	11.2	2.3	0.2	3.4	1.8	4.7	9.9	.475	0.1	0.6	.233	1.1	1.9	.568
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+2	+1.2	+11.1	+2.1	+2.8	+4.9	+8.7	+1.0	+0.7	-1.0	-2.1	+2.2	+6.0	+.037		+0.3		+6.7	+6.5	+.248
Rajon Rondo	9	38.3	14.0	1.2	4.2	5.4	9.6	1.1	0.0	3.7	1.8	5.7	11.9	.477	0.0	0.3	.000	2.7	4.2	.632

Season 6
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2007-08	2011-12
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Third Team	All-NBA Third Team
	-	All-Defensive Second Team
	-	Assists Leader
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Celtics Lost East Conf Finals

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6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+2	+0.3	+10.1	+1.9	+4.0	+6.0	+9.4	+1.3	+1.9	-0.3	-1.2	+3.1	+4.7	+.059	+0.2	+0.8		+4.3	+4.0	+.253
Rajon Rondo	53	36.9	11.9	1.2	3.7	4.8	11.7	1.8	0.1	3.6	1.9	4.8	10.8	.448	0.2	0.8	.238	2.0	3.4	.597
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Yao Ming	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rajon Rondo	19	42.6	17.3	1.8	4.9	6.7	11.9	2.4	0.1	3.8	2.1	7.4	15.8	.468	0.4	1.6	.267	2.1	2.9	.696

Season 7
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2008-09	2012-13
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	-	Assists Leader
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Rockets Lost West Conf Semis	Did Not Play

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7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+39	+3.8	+6.0	+1.5	+2.8	+4.3	+9.3	+1.4	+1.7	-0.9	-0.8	+1.5	+1.2	+.064	+0.3	+1.3		+3.3	+3.3	+.221
Rajon Rondo	38	37.4	13.7	1.1	4.4	5.6	11.1	1.8	0.2	3.9	2.5	5.9	12.2	.484	0.3	1.3	.240	1.6	2.4	.645
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
Rajon Rondo	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Note: Yao Ming didn't play in 2009-10.

Season 8
	Yao Ming	Rajon Rondo
Season	2010-11	2013-14
Team	Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Did Not Play

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8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
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
difference:	+25	+15.1	+1.5	+0.7	+0.7	+0.1	+9.0	+1.3	+1.5	-1.9	-0.4	+1.1	+4.3	+.083	+0.9	+3.0		+1.6	+1.0	+.311
Rajon Rondo	30	33.3	11.7	0.7	4.7	5.5	9.8	1.3	0.1	3.3	2.2	4.7	11.7	.403	0.9	3.0	.289	1.4	2.2	.627
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Yao Ming nor Rajon Rondo played in the postseason in their season 8

Additional Years
* Rajon Rondo played 8 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 9 to 16, from 2015 to 2022—Rajon Rondo played in 5 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those 8 extra years over Yao Ming, Rajon Rondo got these achievements:
Honors & Awards	1 Assists Leader