Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Anthony Davis: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Anthony Davis and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 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.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Davis have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 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 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more points both in the regular season and Playoffs and also has better season average while Anthony Davis 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 20 NBA regular seasons played, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averages 0.5 points more than Anthony Davis in his 13 seasons (24.6 points against 24.1), and he also scored a total of 19,409 points more (38,387 vs. 18,978).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.6 | +0.5 | 20 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.1 | 13 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 | +19,409 | 20 |
| Anthony Davis | 18,978 | 13 | |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 2 |  +2 |
| Anthony Davis | 0 | |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Anthony Davis has a better career point average than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (+1.8 points per game) while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more points (+4,196).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.3 | 18 | |
| Anthony Davis | 26.1 | +1.8 | 6 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 5,762 | +4,196 | 18 |
| Anthony Davis | 1,566 | 6 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,122 | +589 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 533 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,509 | +778 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 731 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,559 | +775 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 784 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1 | |||
| Anthony Davis | 3 | +2 | ||
Playoffs
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 169 | +123 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 46 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 223 | +165 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 58 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 237 | +178 | ||
| Anthony Davis | 59 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 0 | |||
| Anthony Davis | 1 | +1 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.6 | 10.2 | 18.1 | 55.9 | * 0.0 | * 0.0 | * 5.6 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 72.1 | 20 | 1,560 |
| difference: | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +3.7 | +0.5 | +1.6 | +24.0 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +7.3 | +7 | +773 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.1 | 9.0 | 17.3 | 52.2 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 29.6 | 5.6 | 7.0 | 79.4 | 13 | 787 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 | 15,837 | 28,307 | 55.9 | * 1 | * 18 | * 5.6 | 6,712 | 9,304 | 72.1 | 20 | 1,560 |
| difference: | +19,409 | +8,737 | +14,718 | +3.7 | +374 | +1,251 | +24.0 | +2,309 | +3,758 | +7.3 | +7 | +773 |
| Anthony Davis | 18,978 | 7,100 | 13,589 | 52.2 | 375 | 1,269 | 29.6 | 4,403 | 5,546 | 79.4 | 13 | 787 |
Notes: Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80.
* = some years in his career didn't have the stat.
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.3 | 9.9 | 18.7 | 53.3 | * 0.0 | * 0.0 | * 0.0 | 4.4 | 6.0 | 74.0 | 18 | 237 |
| difference: | +1.8 | +0.3 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +1.9 | +31.3 | +2.0 | +1.6 | +10.0 | +12 | +177 |
| Anthony Davis | 26.1 | 9.6 | 17.7 | 54.2 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 31.3 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 84.0 | 6 | 60 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 5,762 | 2,356 | 4,422 | 53.3 | * 0 | * 4 | * 0.0 | 1,050 | 1,419 | 74.0 | 18 | 237 |
| difference: | +4,196 | +1,782 | +3,363 | +0.9 | +36 | +111 | +31.3 | +668 | +964 | +10.0 | +12 | +177 |
| Anthony Davis | 1,566 | 574 | 1,059 | 54.2 | 36 | 115 | 31.3 | 382 | 455 | 84.0 | 6 | 60 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 28.8 | +15.3 | 1970 | 82 |
| Anthony Davis | 13.5 | 2013 | 64 | |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 31.7 | +10.9 | 1971 | 82 |
| Anthony Davis | 20.8 | 2014 | 67 | |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 34.8 | +10.4 | 1972 | 81 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.4 | 2015 | 68 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 30.2 | +5.9 | 1973 | 76 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.3 | 2016 | 61 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 27.0 | 1974 | 81 | |
| Anthony Davis | 28.0 | +1.0 | 2017 | 75 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 30.0 | +1.9 | 1975 | 65 |
| Anthony Davis | 28.1 | 2018 | 75 | |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 27.7 | +1.8 | 1976 | 82 |
| Anthony Davis | 25.9 | 2019 | 56 | |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 26.2 | +0.1 | 1977 | 82 |
| Anthony Davis | 26.1 | 2020 | 62 | |
Season 9 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 25.8 | +4.0 | 1978 | 62 |
| Anthony Davis | 21.8 | 2021 | 36 | |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 23.8 | +0.6 | 1979 | 80 |
| Anthony Davis | 23.2 | 2022 | 40 | |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.8 | 1980 | 82 | |
| Anthony Davis | 25.9 | +1.1 | 2023 | 56 |
Season 12 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 26.2 | +1.5 | 1981 | 80 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.7 | 2024 | 76 | |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 23.9 | 1982 | 76 | |
| Anthony Davis | 24.7 | +0.8 | 2025 | 51 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's additional seasons: | ||||
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 7 seasons more than Anthony Davis in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 14 to 20, from 1983 to 1989—he averaged 18.8 points in a total of 549 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 23.4 ppg and his lowest 10.1. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 35.2 | +35.2 | 1970 | 10 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2013 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 26.6 | +26.6 | 1971 | 14 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 28.7 | 1972 | 11 | |
| Anthony Davis | 31.5 | +2.8 | 2015 | 4 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 22.8 | +22.8 | 1973 | 6 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 32.2 | +32.2 | 1974 | 16 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | - | DNP | 1975 | 0 |
| Anthony Davis | 30.1 | +30.1 | 2018 | 9 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | - | DNP | 1976 | 0 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 34.6 | +6.9 | 1977 | 11 |
| Anthony Davis | 27.7 | 2020 | 21 | |
Season 9 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 27.0 | +9.6 | 1978 | 3 |
| Anthony Davis | 17.4 | 2021 | 5 | |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 28.5 | +28.5 | 1979 | 8 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 31.9 | +9.3 | 1980 | 15 |
| Anthony Davis | 22.6 | 2023 | 16 | |
Season 12 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 26.7 | 1981 | 3 | |
| Anthony Davis | 27.8 | +1.1 | 2024 | 5 |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 20.4 | +20.4 | 1982 | 14 |
| Anthony Davis | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 7 additional NBA seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in 7 Playoffs and won 3 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 20.1 points in a total of 126 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27.1 ppg and his lowest 11.1. |