Bob Cousy vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Bob Cousy and Shaquille O'Neal 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 Bob Cousy, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1951 to 1970, and Shaquille O'Neal, with 19 seasons played from 1993 to 2011, 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.
Bob Cousy vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 106th | 9th | 68th | 5th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 15th | 174th | 5th |
| Assists | 22nd | 236th | 20th | 53rd |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | 92nd |
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | n/a | 4th |
| Years | 14 | 19 | 13 | 17 |
Bob Cousy vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 122nd | 29th | 134th | 36th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 32nd | +300th | 23rd |
| Assists | 23rd | +300th | 10th | +300th |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | +300th |
| Blocks | n/a | 15th | n/a | 15th |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
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: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 106th | 9th | 97 | 16,960 vs. 28,596 | 11,636 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 15th | +285 | 4,786 vs. 13,099 | 8,313 |
| Assists | 22nd | 236th | 214 | 6,955 vs. 3,026 | 3,929 |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 739 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | 0 vs. 2,732 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 6th | 0 vs. 4,209 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 11th | 0 vs. 8,890 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 123rd | 7th | 116 | 6,168 vs. 11,330 | 5,162 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 46th | 23rd | 23 | 16,468 vs. 19,457 | 2,989 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 1 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 22 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 54th | 25th | 29 | 4,624 vs. 5,935 | 1,311 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 56th | 4th | 52 | 5,756 vs. 11,252 | 5,496 |
Games and Years: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 236th | 47th | 189 | 924 vs. 1,207 | 283 |
| Seasons | 194th | 12th | 182 | 14 vs. 19 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 14th | 202nd | 188 | 33 vs. 2 | 31 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 220th | 21st | 199 | 3 vs. 49 | 46 |
| 50+ point games | - | 40th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 68th | 5th | 63 | 2,018 vs. 5,250 | 3,232 |
| Rebounds | 174th | 5th | 169 | 546 vs. 2,508 | 1,962 |
| Assists | 20th | 53rd | 33 | 937 vs. 582 | 355 |
| Steals | n/a | 92nd | 0 vs. 117 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 4th | 0 vs. 459 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 1st | 0 vs. 866 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 3rd | 0 vs. 1,642 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 85th | 4th | 81 | 689 vs. 2,041 | 1,352 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 45th | 7th | 38 | 2,016 vs. 3,627 | 1,611 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 39th | 8th | 31 | 640 vs. 1,168 | 528 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 41st | 2nd | 39 | 799 vs. 2,317 | 1,518 |
Games and Years: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 131st | 9th | 122 | 109 vs. 216 | 107 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 6th | 39 | 13 vs. 17 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 31st | +300th | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 78th | 8th | 70 | 1 vs. 12 | 11 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 122nd | 29th | 93 | 18.35 vs. 23.69 | 5.34 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 32nd | +268 | 5.18 vs. 10.85 | 5.67 |
| Assists per game | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 7.53 vs. 2.51 | 5.02 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.61 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.26 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 10th | 0.00 vs. 3.49 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 32nd | 0.00 vs. 7.37 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 161st | 11th | 150 | 6.68 vs. 9.39 | 2.71 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 35th | 74th | 39 | 17.82 vs. 16.12 | 1.70 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.02 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 52nd | 58th | 6 | 5.00 vs. 4.92 | 0.09 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 63rd | 5th | 58 | 6.23 vs. 9.32 | 3.09 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 134th | 36th | 98 | 18.51 vs. 24.31 | 5.79 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 5.01 vs. 11.61 | 6.60 |
| Assists per game | 10th | +300th | +290 | 8.60 vs. 2.69 | 5.90 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.54 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.13 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 6th | 0.00 vs. 4.01 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 27th | 0.00 vs. 7.60 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 180th | 22nd | 158 | 6.32 vs. 9.45 | 3.13 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 54th | 83rd | 29 | 18.50 vs. 16.79 | 1.70 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 39th | 60th | 21 | 5.87 vs. 5.41 | 0.46 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 42nd | 2nd | 40 | 7.33 vs. 10.73 | 3.40 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 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 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.