Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. James Harden: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo 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.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo are among the most prolific scorers in NBA history—combining for an staggering season total of 48,225 points—and they also have two of the all-time best scoring averages. 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 James Harden scored more points both in the regular season and Playoffs and also has better season average while Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better scoring average in the postseason. 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 16 NBA regular seasons played, James Harden averages 0.2 points more than Giannis Antetokounmpo in his 12 seasons (24.1 points against 23.9), and he also scored a total of 7,149 points more (27,687 vs. 20,538).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 23.9 | 12 | |
| James Harden | 24.1 | +0.2 | 16 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 20,538 | 12 | |
| James Harden | 27,687 | +7,149 | 16 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 0 | |
| James Harden | 3 |  +3 |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better career point average than James Harden (+4.5 points per game) while James Harden scored more points (+1,625).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 27.0 | +4.5 | 9 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 16 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 2,270 | 9 | |
| James Harden | 3,895 | +1,625 | 16 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 1 | |||
| James Harden | 4 | +3 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 563 | |||
| James Harden | 736 | +173 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 760 | |||
| James Harden | 1,053 | +293 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 856 | |||
| James Harden | 1,150 | +294 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 3 | +2 | ||
| James Harden | 1 | |||
Playoffs
50+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 1 | +1 | ||
| James Harden | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 66 | |||
| James Harden | 101 | +35 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 81 | |||
| James Harden | 155 | +74 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 84 | |||
| James Harden | 170 | +86 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| G. Antetokounmpo | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 3 | +3 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 23.9 | 8.8 | 15.9 | 55.1 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 28.4 | 5.8 | 8.3 | 69.3 | 12 | 859 |
| difference: | +0.2 | +1.7 | +0.3 | +11.1 | +2.2 | +5.4 | +7.9 | +1.3 | +0.1 | +16.8 | +4 | +292 |
| James Harden | 24.1 | 7.1 | 16.2 | 43.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 36.3 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 86.1 | 16 | 1,151 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 20,538 | 7,525 | 13,668 | 55.1 | 542 | 1,908 | 28.4 | 4,946 | 7,134 | 69.3 | 12 | 859 |
| difference: | +7,149 | +649 | +4,942 | +11.1 | +2,633 | +6,842 | +7.9 | +3,218 | +2,344 | +16.8 | +4 | +292 |
| James Harden | 27,687 | 8,174 | 18,610 | 43.9 | 3,175 | 8,750 | 36.3 | 8,164 | 9,478 | 86.1 | 16 | 1,151 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 27.0 | 10.1 | 19.1 | 53.2 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 25.9 | 6.0 | 9.6 | 62.5 | 9 | 84 |
| difference: | +4.5 | +3.3 | +3.1 | +10.7 | +1.8 | +4.6 | +8.1 | +0.4 | +2.2 | +24.4 | +7 | +89 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 6.8 | 16.0 | 42.5 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 34.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 2,270 | 852 | 1,602 | 53.2 | 62 | 239 | 25.9 | 504 | 807 | 62.5 | 9 | 84 |
| difference: | +1,625 | +321 | +1,158 | +10.7 | +372 | +1,036 | +8.1 | +611 | +476 | +24.4 | +7 | +89 |
| James Harden | 3,895 | 1,173 | 2,760 | 42.5 | 434 | 1,275 | 34.0 | 1,115 | 1,283 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
James Harden's additional seasons: | ||||
* James Harden played 5 seasons more than Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 13 to 17, from 2022 to 2025—he averaged 20.9 points in a total of 339 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 22.8 ppg and his lowest 16.6. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| G. Antetokounmpo | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| James Harden | 7.7 | +7.7 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| G. Antetokounmpo | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| James Harden | 16.3 | +16.3 | 2012 | 20 |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| G. Antetokounmpo | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| James Harden | 29.6 | +29.6 | 2020 | 12 |
James Harden's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 5 additional NBA seasons, James Harden played in 5 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 19.3 points in a total of 48 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 21.2 ppg and his lowest 18.6. |