Yao Ming vs. Zeke Nnaji Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Zeke Nnaji 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.

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.

Yao Ming played 8 years in the NBA, 4 more than Zeke Nnaji, who played 4. Yao Ming had the first of his seasons in 2002-03, while Zeke Nnaji had his rookie season in 2020-21. 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
Yao Ming 8 4 2002-03 to 2010-11
Zeke Nnaji 4 4 2020-21 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

Rookie Season
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2002-032020-21
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
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 .500 3.7 4.5 .811
Zeke Nnaji 42 9.5 3.2 0.3 1.2 1.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.7 1.2 2.5 .481 0.6 1.4 .407 0.3 0.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Zeke Nnaji 5 3.6 2.4 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.8 1.6 .500 0.6 1.4 .429 0.2 0.4 .500

Season 2
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2003-042021-22
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
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 .000 4.4 5.4 .809
Zeke Nnaji 41 17.0 6.6 1.4 2.2 3.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.6 1.9 2.3 4.5 .516 0.9 2.0 .463 1.0 1.6 .631
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
Zeke Nnaji 2 4.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.5 0.5 1.000 0.5 0.5 1.000 0.0 0.0 -

Season 3
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2004-052022-23
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
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
Zeke Nnaji 53 13.7 5.2 1.2 1.4 2.6 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.6 2.0 2.1 3.7 .561 0.3 1.2 .262 0.8 1.2 .645
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
Zeke Nnaji 5 2.4 1.0 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.8 .500 0.2 0.6 .333 0.0 0.0 -

Season 4
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2005-062023-24
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayNuggets TBD
more >>
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 .000 5.9 6.9 .853
Zeke Nnaji 58 9.9 3.2 1.1 1.1 2.2 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.5 1.4 1.2 2.6 .463 0.1 0.4 .261 0.7 1.1 .677
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Zeke Nnaji 2 4.5 1.5 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 1.0 .500

Season 5
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2006-07-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
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 .000 7.4 8.6 .862
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------
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
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------

Season 6
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2007-08-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
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 .000 6.3 7.4 .850
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------

Season 7
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2008-09-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
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 1.000 4.9 5.7 .866
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------
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
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------

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

Season 8
Yao Ming Zeke Nnaji
Season 2010-11-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
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
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Yao Ming ------- --- ----------
Zeke Nnaji ------- --- ----------
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