Lonzo Ball vs. Dirk Nowitzki: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Dirk Nowitzki and Lonzo 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.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Dirk Nowitzki is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Lonzo Ball.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Dirk Nowitzki has better scoring average and totals in the regular season, and since Lonzo 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 21 NBA regular seasons played, Dirk Nowitzki averages 9.8 points more than Lonzo Ball in his 7 seasons (20.7 points against 10.9), and he also scored a total of 28,168 points more (31,560 vs. 3,392).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Lonzo Ball | 10.9 | 7 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 20.7 | +9.8 | 21 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Lonzo Ball | 3,392 | 7 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | +28,168 | 21 |
Points in the Playoffs
Lonzo 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 | ||
| Lonzo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 15 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Lonzo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 3,663 | +3,663 | 15 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 0 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2 | +2 | ||
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 0 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 20 | +20 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 27 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 861 | +834 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 163 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,373 | +1210 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 305 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1,509 | +1204 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 7 | |||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 13 | +6 | ||
Playoffs
Lonzo 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 | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 10.9 | 4.0 | 10.2 | 39.3 | 2.2 | 6.2 | 35.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 60.5 | 7 | 312 |
| difference: | +9.8 | +3.3 | +5.4 | +7.7 | +0.9 | +2.8 | +2.4 | +4.2 | +4.3 | +27.4 | +14 | +1,210 |
| 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 | ||||
| Lonzo Ball | 3,392 | 1,249 | 3,177 | 39.3 | 692 | 1,945 | 35.6 | 202 | 334 | 60.5 | 7 | 312 |
| difference: | +28,168 | +9,920 | +20,557 | +7.7 | +1,290 | +3,265 | +2.4 | +7,038 | +7,905 | +27.4 | +14 | +1,210 |
| 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 | ||||
| Lonzo 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 | ||||
| Lonzo 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 14 seasons more than Lonzo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 8 to 21, from 2006 to 2019—he averaged 20.5 points in a total of 1,000 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 | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 1999 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | - | DNP | 2000 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 23.4 | +23.4 | 2001 | 10 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 28.4 | +28.4 | 2002 | 8 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 25.3 | +25.3 | 2003 | 17 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 26.6 | +26.6 | 2004 | 5 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Lonzo Ball | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 23.7 | +23.7 | 2005 | 13 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Dirk Nowitzki's additional Playoffs: | ||||
- During his 14 additional NBA seasons, Dirk Nowitzki played in 10 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 25.3 points in a total of 92 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27.7 ppg and his lowest 19.1. |