Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Yao Ming: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Yao Ming 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.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and also has one of the highest career averages in league history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Yao Ming.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Giannis Antetokounmpo has better scoring stats than Yao Ming in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. 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: |
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 12 NBA regular seasons played, Giannis Antetokounmpo averages 4.9 points more than Yao Ming in his 8 seasons (23.9 points against 19.0), and he also scored a total of 11,291 points more (20,538 vs. 9,247).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
G. Antetokounmpo | 23.9 | +4.9 | 12 |
Yao Ming | 19.0 | 8 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
G. Antetokounmpo | 20,538 | +11,291 | 12 |
Yao Ming | 9,247 | 8 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better career point average than Yao Ming (+7.2 points per game) and he also scored more points (+1,715).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
G. Antetokounmpo | 27.0 | +7.2 | 9 |
Yao Ming | 19.8 | 4 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
G. Antetokounmpo | 2,270 | +1,715 | 9 |
Yao Ming | 555 | 4 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 1 | +1 | ||
Yao Ming | 0 |
50+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 9 | +9 | ||
Yao Ming | 0 |
20+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 563 | +331 | ||
Yao Ming | 232 |
10+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 760 | +320 | ||
Yao Ming | 440 |
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 856 | +373 | ||
Yao Ming | 483 |
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 3 | |||
Yao Ming | 3 |
Playoffs
50+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 1 | +1 | ||
Yao Ming | 0 |
40+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 8 | +8 | ||
Yao Ming | 0 |
20+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 66 | +51 | ||
Yao Ming | 15 |
10+ Point Games | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 81 | +55 | ||
Yao Ming | 26 |
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 84 | +56 | ||
Yao Ming | 28 |
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
G. Antetokounmpo | 0 | |||
Yao Ming | 0 |
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: | +4.9 | +1.8 | +2.6 | +2.6 | +0.6 | +2.2 | +8.4 | +0.7 | +2.2 | +14.0 | +4 | +373 |
Yao Ming | 19.0 | 7.0 | 13.3 | 52.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
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: | +11,291 | +4,145 | +7,223 | +2.6 | +540 | +1,898 | +8.4 | +2,461 | +4,150 | +14.0 | +4 | +373 |
Yao Ming | 9,247 | 3,380 | 6,445 | 52.4 | 2 | 10 | 20.0 | 2,485 | 2,984 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
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: | +7.2 | +3.1 | +5.7 | +1.3 | +0.7 | +2.8 | +25.9 | +0.1 | +2.5 | +20.8 | +5 | +56 |
Yao Ming | 19.8 | 7.0 | 13.4 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.9 | 7.1 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
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: | +1,715 | +657 | +1,226 | +1.3 | +62 | +239 | +25.9 | +339 | +609 | +20.8 | +5 | +56 |
Yao Ming | 555 | 195 | 376 | 51.9 | 0 | 0 | - | 165 | 198 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison

Regular Season
Giannis Antetokounmpo's additional seasons: | ||||
* Giannis Antetokounmpo played 4 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 12, from 2022 to 2025—he averaged 30.4 points in a total of 270 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 31.1 ppg and his lowest 29.9. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
G. Antetokounmpo | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
G. Antetokounmpo | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
Yao Ming | 21.4 | +21.4 | 2005 | 7 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
G. Antetokounmpo | 24.8 | +24.8 | 2017 | 6 |
Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
G. Antetokounmpo | 25.5 | +25.5 | 2019 | 15 |
Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2008 | 0 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
G. Antetokounmpo | 30.2 | +30.2 | 2021 | ![]() |
Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2011 | 0 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo played in 3 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 30.8 points in a total of 20 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 33 ppg and his lowest 23.3. |