Gilbert Arenas vs. Michael Jordan: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of Michael Jordan and Gilbert Arenas 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.

Michael Jordan 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 Gilbert Arenas.

By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Michael Jordan has better scoring stats than Gilbert Arenas 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points in the Regular Season

In his 15 NBA regular seasons played, Michael Jordan averages 9.4 points more than Gilbert Arenas in his 11 seasons (30.1 points against 20.7), and he also scored a total of 20,890 points more (32,292 vs. 11,402).

Points Per Game			Seasons
Gilbert Arenas	20.7		11
Michael Jordan	30.1	+9.4	15

Total Points			Seasons
Gilbert Arenas	11,402		11
Michael Jordan	32,292	+20,890	15

Scoring Titles
Gilbert Arenas	0
Michael Jordan	10	+10

Points by Thresholds

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

= NBA Scoring Leader

= NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	10.9		2002	47
Michael Jordan	28.2	+17.3	1985	82

Season 2	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	18.3		2003	82
Michael Jordan	22.7	+4.4	1986	18

Season 3	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	19.6		2004	55
Michael Jordan	37.1	+17.5	1987	82

Season 4	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	25.5		2005	80
Michael Jordan	35.0	+9.5	1988	82

Season 5	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	29.3		2006	80
Michael Jordan	32.5	+3.2	1989	81

Season 6	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	28.4		2007	74
Michael Jordan	33.6	+5.2	1990	82

Season 7	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	19.4		2008	13
Michael Jordan	31.5	+12.1	1991	82

Season 8	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	13.0		2009	2
Michael Jordan	30.1	+17.1	1992	80

Season 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	22.6		2010	32
Michael Jordan	32.6	+10.0	1993	78

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	10.8		2011	70
Michael Jordan	26.9	+16.1	1995	17

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	4.2		2012	17
Michael Jordan	30.4	+26.2	1996	82

Michael Jordan's additional seasons:

* Michael Jordan played 4 seasons more than Gilbert Arenas in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 12 to 15, from 1997 to 2003—he averaged 25.5 points in a total of 306 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 29.6 ppg and his lowest 20. In those 4 extra years over Gilbert Arenas, Michael Jordan won 2 scoring titles.

Playoffs

Rookie Season	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2002	0
Michael Jordan	29.3	+29.3	1985	4

Season 2	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2003	0
Michael Jordan	43.7	+43.7	1986	3

Season 3	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2004	0
Michael Jordan	35.7	+35.7	1987	3

Season 4	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	23.6		2005	10
Michael Jordan	36.3	+12.7	1988	10

Season 5	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	34.0		2006	6
Michael Jordan	34.8	+0.8	1989	17

Season 6	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2007	0
Michael Jordan	36.7	+36.7	1990	16

Season 7	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	10.8		2008	4
Michael Jordan	31.1	+20.3	1991	17

Season 8	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2009	0
Michael Jordan	34.5	+34.5	1992	22

Season 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	-	DNP	2010	0
Michael Jordan	35.1	+35.1	1993	19

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	8.6		2011	5
Michael Jordan	31.5	+22.9	1995	10

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Gilbert Arenas	0.7		2012	6
Michael Jordan	30.7	+30.0	1996	18

Michael Jordan's additional Playoffs:

* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Michael Jordan played in two Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 31.8 points in a total of 40 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 32.4 ppg and his lowest 31.1.