LaMelo Ball vs. Dirk Nowitzki: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Dirk Nowitzki and LaMelo Ball 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 and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by LaMelo Ball.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that in the regular season LaMelo Ball has a better scoring average and Dirk Nowitzki scored more points, and since LaMelo Ball 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, LaMelo Ball averages 0.2 points more than Dirk Nowitzki in his 21 seasons (20.9 points against 20.7). On the other hand Dirk Nowitzki scored a total of 26,261 points more than LaMelo Ball (31,560 vs. 5,299).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 20.9 | +0.2 | 6 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 20.7 | 21 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 5,299 | 6 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | +26,261 | 21 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball 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 | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 15 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 3,663 | +3,663 | 15 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 141 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 861 | +720 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 231 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,373 | +1142 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 252 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,509 | +1257 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 13 | +12 | ||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball 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 | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 20.9 | 7.4 | 17.6 | 41.9 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 36.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 83.9 | 6 | 253 |
| difference: | +0.2 | +0.1 | +2.0 | +5.1 | +1.8 | +5.0 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +4.0 | +15 | +1,269 |
| 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 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 5,299 | 1,867 | 4,451 | 41.9 | 774 | 2,131 | 36.3 | 791 | 943 | 83.9 | 6 | 253 |
| difference: | +26,261 | +9,302 | +19,283 | +5.1 | +1,208 | +3,079 | +1.7 | +6,449 | +7,296 | +4.0 | +15 | +1,269 |
| 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 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +25.3 | +8.4 | +18.2 | +46.2 | +1.0 | +2.8 | +36.5 | +7.4 | +8.3 | +89.2 | +15 | +145 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | 8.4 | 18.2 | 46.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 36.5 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 89.2 | 15 | 145 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +3,663 | +1,220 | +2,642 | +46.2 | +149 | +408 | +36.5 | +1,074 | +1,204 | +89.2 | +15 | +145 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 3,663 | 1,220 | 2,642 | 46.2 | 149 | 408 | 36.5 | 1,074 | 1,204 | 89.2 | 15 | 145 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Dirk Nowitzki's additional seasons: | ||||
- Dirk Nowitzki played 15 seasons more than LaMelo Ball 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 | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 1999 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 2000 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 23.4 | +23.4 | 2001 | 10 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 28.4 | +28.4 | 2002 | 8 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 2003 | 17 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 26.6 | +26.6 | 2004 | 5 |
| * 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. |