Nikola Jokic vs. Shaquille O'Neal: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Shaquille O'Neal and Nikola Jokic 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.
Shaquille O'Neal 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 Nikola Jokic.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Shaquille O'Neal scored more points both in the regular season and Playoffs and also has better season average while Nikola Jokic 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 19 NBA regular seasons played, Shaquille O'Neal averages 1.9 points more than Nikola Jokic in his 10 seasons (23.7 points against 21.8), and he also scored a total of 12,386 points more (28,596 vs. 16,210).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 21.8 | 10 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | +1.9 | 19 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,210 | 10 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | +12,386 | 19 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 0 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 |  +2 |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Nikola Jokic has a better career point average than Shaquille O'Neal (+3.1 points per game) while Shaquille O'Neal scored more points (+2,670).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 27.4 | +3.1 | 7 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | 17 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 2,580 | 7 | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | +2,670 | 17 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 1 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 439 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 826 | +387 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 643 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,132 | +489 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 739 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,205 | +466 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 6 | +4 | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 | |||
Playoffs
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 1 | +1 | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 81 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 148 | +67 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 94 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 206 | +112 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 94 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 215 | +121 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 0 | |||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | +1 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 21.8 | 8.4 | 15.0 | 56.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 36.0 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 82.4 | 10 | 745 |
| difference: | +1.9 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +2.3 | +1.1 | +3.0 | +31.5 | +1.0 | +4.5 | +29.7 | +9 | +462 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | 9.4 | 16.1 | 58.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 9.3 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,210 | 6,236 | 11,142 | 56.0 | 814 | 2,264 | 36.0 | 2,924 | 3,550 | 82.4 | 10 | 745 |
| difference: | +12,386 | +5,094 | +8,315 | +2.3 | +813 | +2,242 | +31.5 | +3,011 | +7,702 | +29.7 | +9 | +462 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | 11,330 | 19,457 | 58.2 | 1 | 22 | 4.5 | 5,935 | 11,252 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 27.4 | 10.4 | 19.8 | 52.5 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 38.8 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 82.6 | 7 | 94 |
| difference: | +3.1 | +1.0 | +3.0 | +3.8 | +1.8 | +4.5 | +38.8 | +0.5 | +4.8 | +32.2 | +10 | +122 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | 9.4 | 16.8 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.4 | 10.7 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 2,580 | 978 | 1,864 | 52.5 | 165 | 425 | 38.8 | 459 | 556 | 82.6 | 7 | 94 |
| difference: | +2,670 | +1,063 | +1,763 | +3.8 | +165 | +425 | +38.8 | +709 | +1,761 | +32.2 | +10 | +122 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | 2,041 | 3,627 | 56.3 | 0 | 0 | - | 1,168 | 2,317 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Shaquille O'Neal's additional seasons: | ||||
* Shaquille O'Neal played 11 seasons more than Nikola Jokic in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 11 to 21, from 2003 to 2011—he averaged 17.8 points in a total of 654 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 27.5 ppg and his lowest 9.2. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | - | DNP | 1993 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 20.7 | +20.7 | 1994 | 3 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 25.7 | +25.7 | 1995 | 21 |
Shaquille O'Neal's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 11 additional NBA seasons, Shaquille O'Neal played in 10 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 18.7 points in a total of 102 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27 ppg and his lowest 1. |