Bernard King vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Bernard King and Dirk Nowitzki all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Bernard King, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1978 to 1993, and Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons played from 1999 to 2019, stand among the league's historical elite.
Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.
Bernard King vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 54th | 6th | +300th | 18th |
| Rebounds | 280th | 27th | +300th | 24th |
| Assists | 267th | 163rd | +300th | 105th |
| Steals | 267th | 96th | +300th | 55th |
| Blocks | +300th | 56th | +300th | 53rd |
| Years | 14 | 21 | 5 | 15 |
Bernard King vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 37th | 59th | 34th | 28th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 181st | +300th | 61st |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | 276th |
| Blocks | +300th | 228th | +300th | 188th |
The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
* Some years in Bernard King's career don't have data for these stats.
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 54th | 6th | 48 | 19,655 vs. 31,560 | 11,905 |
| Rebounds | 280th | 27th | 253 | 5,060 vs. 11,489 | 6,429 |
| Assists | 267th | 163rd | 104 | 2,863 vs. 3,651 | 788 |
| Steals | 267th | 96th | 171 | 866 vs. 1,210 | 344 |
| Blocks | +300th | 56th | +244 | 230 vs. 1,281 | 1,051 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 168th | 237th | 69 | 1,704 vs. 1,468 | 236 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 245th | 6th | 239 | 3,356 vs. 10,021 | 6,665 |
| Field Goals Made | 47th | 8th | 39 | 7,830 vs. 11,169 | 3,339 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 70th | 8th | 62 | 15,109 vs. 23,734 | 8,625 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 20th | +280 | 23 vs. 1,982 | 1,959 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 134 vs. 5,210 | 5,076 |
| Free Throws Made | 82nd | 9th | 73 | 3,972 vs. 7,240 | 3,268 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 71st | 18th | 53 | 5,444 vs. 8,239 | 2,795 |
Games and Years: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 5th | +295 | 874 vs. 1,522 | 648 |
| Seasons | 194th | 3rd | 191 | 14 vs. 21 | 7 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 205th | 205th | 0 | 2 vs. 2 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 26th | 62nd | 36 | 45 vs. 20 | 25 |
| 50+ point games | 14th | 50th | 36 | 8 vs. 2 | 6 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | +300th | 18th | +282 | 687 vs. 3,663 | 2,976 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 24th | +276 | 121 vs. 1,446 | 1,325 |
| Assists | +300th | 105th | +195 | 65 vs. 360 | 295 |
| Steals | +300th | 55th | +245 | 24 vs. 149 | 125 |
| Blocks | +300th | 53rd | +247 | 6 vs. 129 | 123 |
| Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 83rd | +217 | 45 vs. 212 | 167 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 7th | +293 | 76 vs. 1,234 | 1,158 |
| Field Goals Made | +300th | 21st | +279 | 269 vs. 1,220 | 951 |
| Field Goals Attempted | +300th | 21st | +279 | 481 vs. 2,642 | 2,161 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 62nd | +238 | 1 vs. 149 | 148 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 63rd | +237 | 4 vs. 408 | 404 |
| Free Throws Made | +300th | 10th | +290 | 148 vs. 1,074 | 926 |
| Free Throws Attempted | +300th | 14th | +286 | 203 vs. 1,204 | 1,001 |
Games and Years: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 54th | +246 | 28 vs. 145 | 117 |
| Playoffs | +300th | 17th | +283 | 5 vs. 15 | 10 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 20th | 20th | 0 | 7 vs. 7 | 0 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 37th | 59th | 22 | 22.49 vs. 20.74 | 1.75 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 181st | +119 | 5.79 vs. 7.55 | 1.76 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.28 vs. 2.40 | 0.88 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.99 vs. 0.80 | 0.20 | |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 228th | +72 | 0.26 vs. 0.84 | 0.58 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 235th | +300th | +65 | 1.95 vs. 0.96 | 0.99 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 54th | +246 | 3.84 vs. 6.58 | 2.74 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 21st | 91st | 70 | 8.96 vs. 7.34 | 1.62 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 43rd | 102nd | 59 | 17.29 vs. 15.59 | 1.69 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 271st | +29 | 0.03 vs. 1.30 | 1.27 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 216th | +84 | 0.19 vs. 3.42 | 3.24 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 81st | 69th | 12 | 4.54 vs. 4.76 | 0.21 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 62nd | 107th | 45 | 6.23 vs. 5.41 | 0.82 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bernard King | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 34th | 28th | 6 | 24.54 vs. 25.26 | 0.73 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 61st | +239 | 4.32 vs. 9.97 | 5.65 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.32 vs. 2.48 | 0.16 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 276th | +24 | 0.86 vs. 1.03 | 0.17 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 188th | +112 | 0.21 vs. 0.89 | 0.68 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.61 vs. 1.46 | 0.15 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 2.71 vs. 8.51 | 5.80 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 20th | 51st | 31 | 9.61 vs. 8.41 | 1.19 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 75th | 58th | 17 | 17.18 vs. 18.22 | 1.04 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.04 vs. 1.03 | 0.99 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.15 vs. 2.81 | 2.66 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 67th | 10th | 57 | 5.29 vs. 7.41 | 2.12 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 44th | 23rd | 21 | 7.25 vs. 8.30 | 1.05 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.