Yao Ming vs. Steve Nash: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Steve Nash and Yao Ming 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
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Yao Ming has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while Steve Nash scored more total points in both stages. 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 8 NBA regular seasons played, Yao Ming averages 4.7 points more than Steve Nash in his 18 seasons (19.0 points against 14.3). On the other hand Steve Nash scored a total of 8,140 points more than Yao Ming (17,387 vs. 9,247).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | +4.7 | 8 |
| Steve Nash | 14.3 | 18 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | 8 | |
| Steve Nash | 17,387 | +8,140 | 18 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Yao Ming has a better career point average than Steve Nash (+2.5 points per game) while Steve Nash scored more points (+1,517).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | +2.5 | 4 |
| Steve Nash | 17.3 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Yao Ming | 555 | 4 | |
| Steve Nash | 2,072 | +1,517 | 12 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 232 | |||
| Steve Nash | 309 | +77 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 440 | |||
| Steve Nash | 875 | +435 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 483 | |||
| Steve Nash | 1,177 | +694 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 3 | |||
| Steve Nash | 40 | +37 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 0 | |||
| Steve Nash | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 15 | |||
| Steve Nash | 48 | +33 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 26 | |||
| Steve Nash | 103 | +77 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 28 | |||
| Steve Nash | 115 | +87 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 0 | |||
| Steve Nash | 5 | +5 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | 7.0 | 13.3 | 52.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
| difference: | +4.7 | +1.8 | +2.7 | +3.4 | +1.4 | +3.2 | +22.8 | +2.6 | +3.3 | +7.1 | +10 | +731 |
| Steve Nash | 14.3 | 5.2 | 10.6 | 49.0 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 42.8 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 90.4 | 18 | 1,217 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | 3,380 | 6,445 | 52.4 | 2 | 10 | 20.0 | 2,485 | 2,984 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
| difference: | +8,140 | +2,941 | +6,447 | +3.4 | +1,683 | +3,929 | +22.8 | +575 | +400 | +7.1 | +10 | +731 |
| Steve Nash | 17,387 | 6,321 | 12,892 | 49.0 | 1,685 | 3,939 | 42.8 | 3,060 | 3,384 | 90.4 | 18 | 1,217 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | 7.0 | 13.4 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.9 | 7.1 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
| difference: | +2.5 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +4.6 | +1.5 | +3.7 | +40.6 | +2.6 | +3.4 | +6.7 | +8 | +92 |
| Steve Nash | 17.3 | 6.2 | 13.2 | 47.3 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 40.6 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 90.0 | 12 | 120 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Yao Ming | 555 | 195 | 376 | 51.9 | 0 | 0 | - | 165 | 198 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
| difference: | +1,517 | +554 | +1,208 | +4.6 | +178 | +438 | +40.6 | +231 | +242 | +6.7 | +8 | +92 |
| Steve Nash | 2,072 | 749 | 1,584 | 47.3 | 178 | 438 | 40.6 | 396 | 440 | 90.0 | 12 | 120 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Steve Nash's additional seasons: | ||||
* Steve Nash played 10 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 18, from 2005 to 2014—he averaged 15.8 points in a total of 668 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 18.8 ppg and his lowest 6.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
| Steve Nash | 1.3 | +1.3 | 1997 | 4 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | 21.4 | +21.4 | 2005 | 7 |
| Steve Nash | - | DNP | 1999 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| Steve Nash | - | DNP | 2000 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2008 | 0 |
| Steve Nash | 19.5 | +19.5 | 2002 | 8 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2011 | 0 |
| Steve Nash | 13.6 | +13.6 | 2004 | 5 |
Steve Nash's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 10 additional NBA seasons, Steve Nash played in 6 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 19.8 points in a total of 69 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 23.9 ppg and his lowest 12.5. |