Dirk Nowitzki vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Dirk Nowitzki 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.
Dirk Nowitzki is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points while Zion Williamson has one of the highest career averages in league history, 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 in the regular season Zion Williamson has a better scoring average and Dirk Nowitzki scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Dirk Nowitzki has better playoff stats. 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 6 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 3.8 points more than Dirk Nowitzki in his 21 seasons (24.5 points against 20.7). On the other hand Dirk Nowitzki scored a total of 25,880 points more than Zion Williamson (31,560 vs. 5,680).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 20.7 | 21 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.5 | +3.8 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | +25,880 | 21 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,680 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Dirk Nowitzki has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 3,663 | +3,663 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2 | +2 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 861 | +680 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 181 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,373 | +1146 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 227 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,509 | +1277 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 232 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 13 | +13 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Dirk Nowitzki's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 20.7 | 7.3 | 15.6 | 47.1 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 38.0 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 87.9 | 21 | 1,522 |
| difference: | +3.8 | +2.1 | +0.4 | +11.5 | +1.2 | +3.0 | +6.3 | +0.8 | +2.6 | +18.3 | +15 | +1,290 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.5 | 9.4 | 16.0 | 58.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 31.7 | 5.6 | 8.0 | 69.6 | 6 | 232 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | 11,169 | 23,734 | 47.1 | 1,982 | 5,210 | 38.0 | 7,240 | 8,239 | 87.9 | 21 | 1,522 |
| difference: | +25,880 | +8,992 | +20,018 | +11.5 | +1,950 | +5,109 | +6.3 | +5,946 | +6,379 | +18.3 | +15 | +1,290 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,680 | 2,177 | 3,716 | 58.6 | 32 | 101 | 31.7 | 1,294 | 1,860 | 69.6 | 6 | 232 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | 8.4 | 18.2 | 46.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 36.5 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 89.2 | 15 | 145 |
| difference: | +25.3 | +8.4 | +18.2 | +46.2 | +1.0 | +2.8 | +36.5 | +7.4 | +8.3 | +89.2 | +15 | +145 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 3,663 | 1,220 | 2,642 | 46.2 | 149 | 408 | 36.5 | 1,074 | 1,204 | 89.2 | 15 | 145 |
| difference: | +3,663 | +1,220 | +2,642 | +46.2 | +149 | +408 | +36.5 | +1,074 | +1,204 | +89.2 | +15 | +145 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Dirk Nowitzki's additional seasons: | ||||
- Dirk Nowitzki played 15 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 21, from 2005 to 2019—he averaged 20.9 points in a total of 1,078 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 26.6 ppg and his lowest 7.3. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 1999 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 2000 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 23.4 | +23.4 | 2001 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 28.4 | +28.4 | 2002 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 2003 | 17 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 26.6 | +26.6 | 2004 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Dirk Nowitzki's additional Playoffs: | ||||
- During his 15 additional NBA seasons, Dirk Nowitzki played in 11 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 25.1 points in a total of 105 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27.7 ppg and his lowest 19.1. |