Penny Hardaway vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Penny Hardaway 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.
Zion Williamson has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Penny Hardaway.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that in the regular season Zion Williamson has a better scoring average and Penny Hardaway scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Penny Hardaway 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 5 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 9.5 points more than Penny Hardaway in his 14 seasons (24.7 points against 15.2). On the other hand Penny Hardaway scored a total of 5,405 points more than Zion Williamson (10,684 vs. 5,279).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Penny Hardaway | 15.2 | 14 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | +9.5 | 5 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Penny Hardaway | 10,684 | +5,405 | 14 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 5 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Penny Hardaway has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | 20.4 | +20.4 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | 1,304 | +1,304 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 215 | +47 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 168 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 502 | +292 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 210 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 683 | +469 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 214 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 21 | +21 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Penny Hardaway's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 15.2 | 5.7 | 12.4 | 45.8 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 31.6 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 77.4 | 14 | 704 |
| difference: | +9.5 | +3.8 | +3.8 | +13.1 | +0.6 | +1.8 | +1.1 | +2.3 | +3.9 | +8.5 | +9 | +490 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | 9.5 | 16.2 | 58.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 32.7 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 10,684 | 3,995 | 8,731 | 45.8 | 503 | 1,591 | 31.6 | 2,191 | 2,831 | 77.4 | 14 | 704 |
| difference: | +5,405 | +1,954 | +5,263 | +13.1 | +471 | +1,493 | +1.1 | +1,026 | +1,141 | +8.5 | +9 | +490 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 2,041 | 3,468 | 58.9 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,165 | 1,690 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 20.4 | 7.1 | 15.9 | 44.8 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 38.0 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 74.6 | 8 | 64 |
| difference: | +20.4 | +7.1 | +15.9 | +44.8 | +1.6 | +4.2 | +38.0 | +4.5 | +6.1 | +74.6 | +8 | +64 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Penny Hardaway | 1,304 | 456 | 1,018 | 44.8 | 101 | 266 | 38.0 | 291 | 390 | 74.6 | 8 | 64 |
| difference: | +1,304 | +456 | +1,018 | +44.8 | +101 | +266 | +38.0 | +291 | +390 | +74.6 | +8 | +64 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Penny Hardaway's additional seasons: | ||||
* Penny Hardaway played 9 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 14, from 1999 to 2008—he averaged 11.6 points in a total of 385 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 16.9 ppg and his lowest 2.5. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Penny Hardaway | 18.7 | +18.7 | 1994 | 3 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Penny Hardaway | 19.6 | +19.6 | 1995 | 21 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Penny Hardaway | 23.3 | +23.3 | 1996 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Penny Hardaway | 31.0 | +31.0 | 1997 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Penny Hardaway | - | DNP | 1998 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Penny Hardaway's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 9 additional NBA seasons, Penny Hardaway played in 4 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 17.4 points in a total of 23 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 20.3 ppg and his lowest 12.7. |