Anthony Davis vs. Shaquille O'Neal: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Shaquille O'Neal and Anthony Davis to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Anthony Davis and Shaquille O'Neal have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (Shaquille O'Neal is also one of the all-time leaders in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Anthony Davis has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while Shaquille O'Neal scored more total points in both stages. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 14 NBA regular seasons played, Anthony Davis averages 0.4 points more than Shaquille O'Neal in his 19 seasons (24.1 points against 23.7). On the other hand Shaquille O'Neal scored a total of 9,514 points more than Anthony Davis (28,596 vs. 19,082).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Anthony Davis | 24.1 | +0.4 | 14 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | 19 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Anthony Davis | 19,082 | 14 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | +9,514 | 19 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Anthony Davis | 0 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 |  +2 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Anthony Davis has a better career point average than Shaquille O'Neal (+1.8 points per game) while Shaquille O'Neal scored more points (+3,684).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Anthony Davis | 26.1 | +1.8 | 6 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | 17 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Anthony Davis | 1,566 | 6 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | +3,684 | 17 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 0 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 537 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 826 | +289 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 735 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,132 | +397 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 789 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,205 | +416 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 3 | +1 | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 | |||
Playoffs
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 46 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 148 | +102 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 58 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 206 | +148 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 59 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 215 | +156 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 1 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 24.1 | 9.0 | 17.3 | 52.2 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 29.5 | 5.6 | 7.0 | 79.4 | 14 | 792 |
| difference: | +0.4 | +0.4 | +1.2 | +6.0 | +0.5 | +1.6 | +25.0 | +0.7 | +2.3 | +26.7 | +5 | +415 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | 9.4 | 16.1 | 58.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 9.3 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 19,082 | 7,139 | 13,664 | 52.2 | 378 | 1,280 | 29.5 | 4,426 | 5,577 | 79.4 | 14 | 792 |
| difference: | +9,514 | +4,191 | +5,793 | +6.0 | +377 | +1,258 | +25.0 | +1,509 | +5,675 | +26.7 | +5 | +415 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | 11,330 | 19,457 | 58.2 | 1 | 22 | 4.5 | 5,935 | 11,252 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 26.1 | 9.6 | 17.7 | 54.2 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 31.3 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 84.0 | 6 | 60 |
| difference: | +1.8 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +2.1 | +0.6 | +1.9 | +31.3 | +1.0 | +3.1 | +33.6 | +11 | +156 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | 9.4 | 16.8 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.4 | 10.7 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Anthony Davis | 1,566 | 574 | 1,059 | 54.2 | 36 | 115 | 31.3 | 382 | 455 | 84.0 | 6 | 60 |
| difference: | +3,684 | +1,467 | +2,568 | +2.1 | +36 | +115 | +31.3 | +786 | +1,862 | +33.6 | +11 | +156 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | 2,041 | 3,627 | 56.3 | 0 | 0 | - | 1,168 | 2,317 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Shaquille O'Neal's additional seasons: | ||||
* Shaquille O'Neal played 4 seasons more than Anthony Davis in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 16 to 19, from 2008 to 2011—he averaged 13.9 points in a total of 226 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 17.8 ppg and his lowest 9.2. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2013 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | - | DNP | 1993 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 20.7 | +20.7 | 1994 | 3 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 25.8 | +25.8 | 1996 | 12 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 26.9 | +26.9 | 1997 | 9 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 26.6 | +26.6 | 1999 | 8 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28.5 | +28.5 | 2002 | 19 |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 19.4 | +19.4 | 2005 | 13 |
Season 14 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 18.4 | +18.4 | 2006 | 23 |
Season 15 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 18.8 | +18.8 | 2007 | 4 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Shaquille O'Neal's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Shaquille O'Neal played in 3 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 11.4 points in a total of 18 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 15.2 ppg and his lowest 1. |