Charles Barkley vs. Karl Malone: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Charles Barkley and Karl Malone all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Charles Barkley, with a career spanning 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000, and Karl Malone, with 19 seasons played from 1986 to 2004, 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.
Charles Barkley vs. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | |
Points | 31st | 3rd | 36th | 8th |
Rebounds | 19th | 7th | 15th | 7th |
Assists | 111st | 63rd | 63rd | 45th |
Steals | 28th | 12th | 35th | 17th |
Blocks | 129th | 74th | 68th | 50th |
Years | 16 | 19 | 13 | 19 |
Charles Barkley vs. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | |
Points | 38th | 15th | 44th | 33rd |
Rebounds | 22nd | 51st | 13th | 38th |
Assists | 239th | +300th | 197th | +300th |
Steals | 72nd | 107th | 57th | 118th |
Blocks | 233rd | 254th | 195th | 299th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 31st | 3rd | 28 | 23,757 vs. 36,928 | 13,171 |
Rebounds | 19th | 7th | 12 | 12,546 vs. 14,968 | 2,422 |
Assists | 111st | 63rd | 48 | 4,215 vs. 5,248 | 1,033 |
Steals | 28th | 12th | 16 | 1,648 vs. 2,085 | 437 |
Blocks | 129th | 74th | 55 | 888 vs. 1,145 | 257 |
Offensive Rebounds | 5th | 14th | 9 | 4,260 vs. 3,562 | 698 |
Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 2nd | 13 | 8,286 vs. 11,406 | 3,120 |
Field Goals Made | 35th | 3rd | 32 | 8,435 vs. 13,528 | 5,093 |
Field Goals Attempted | 61st | 3rd | 58 | 15,605 vs. 26,210 | 10,605 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 538 vs. 85 | 453 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | 289th | +300th | +11 | 2,020 vs. 310 | 1,710 |
Free Throws Made | 17th | 1st | 16 | 6,349 vs. 9,787 | 3,438 |
Free Throws Attempted | 13th | 1st | 12 | 8,643 vs. 13,188 | 4,545 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 106th | 7th | 99 | 1,073 vs. 1,476 | 403 |
Seasons | 87th | 12th | 75 | 16 vs. 19 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 29th | 134th | 105 | 20 vs. 4 | 16 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 57th | 29th | 28 | 21 vs. 44 | 23 |
50+ point games | - | 29th | 0 vs. 4 | 4 | |
60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 36th | 8th | 28 | 2,833 vs. 4,761 | 1,928 |
Rebounds | 15th | 7th | 8 | 1,582 vs. 2,062 | 480 |
Assists | 63rd | 45th | 18 | 482 vs. 610 | 128 |
Steals | 35th | 17th | 18 | 193 vs. 258 | 65 |
Blocks | 68th | 50th | 18 | 108 vs. 135 | 27 |
Offensive Rebounds | 7th | 10th | 3 | 510 vs. 502 | 8 |
Defensive Rebounds | 17th | 4th | 13 | 1,072 vs. 1,560 | 488 |
Field Goals Made | 36th | 7th | 29 | 1,009 vs. 1,743 | 734 |
Field Goals Attempted | 47th | 6th | 41 | 1,965 vs. 3,768 | 1,803 |
3-Pointers Made | 215th | +300th | +85 | 64 vs. 6 | 58 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 138th | +300th | +162 | 251 vs. 37 | 214 |
Free Throws Made | 25th | 4th | 21 | 751 vs. 1,269 | 518 |
Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 5th | 13 | 1,048 vs. 1,725 | 677 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 100th | 12th | 88 | 123 vs. 193 | 70 |
Playoffs | 45th | 1st | 44 | 13 vs. 19 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 13th | +300th | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 36th | 8 | 5 vs. 4 | 1 |
50+ point games | 9th | 9th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 38th | 15th | 23 | 22.14 vs. 25.02 | 2.88 |
Rebounds per game | 22nd | 51st | 29 | 11.69 vs. 10.14 | 1.55 |
Assists per game | 239th | +300th | +61 | 3.93 vs. 3.56 | 0.37 |
Steals per game | 72nd | 107th | 35 | 1.54 vs. 1.41 | 0.12 |
Blocks per game | 233rd | 254th | 21 | 0.83 vs. 0.78 | 0.05 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | 111st | 107 | 3.97 vs. 2.41 | 1.56 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 21st | 20th | 1 | 7.72 vs. 7.73 | 0.01 |
Field Goals Made per game | 56th | 16th | 40 | 7.86 vs. 9.17 | 1.30 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 149th | 36th | 113 | 14.54 vs. 17.76 | 3.21 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.50 vs. 0.06 | 0.44 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.88 vs. 0.21 | 1.67 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 22nd | 14th | 8 | 5.92 vs. 6.63 | 0.71 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 20th | 6th | 14 | 8.05 vs. 8.93 | 0.88 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 44th | 33rd | 11 | 23.03 vs. 24.67 | 1.64 |
Rebounds per game | 13th | 38th | 25 | 12.86 vs. 10.68 | 2.18 |
Assists per game | 197th | +300th | +103 | 3.92 vs. 3.16 | 0.76 |
Steals per game | 57th | 118th | 61 | 1.57 vs. 1.34 | 0.23 |
Blocks per game | 195th | 299th | 104 | 0.88 vs. 0.70 | 0.18 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | 98th | 94 | 4.15 vs. 2.60 | 1.55 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 8th | 18th | 10 | 8.72 vs. 8.08 | 0.63 |
Field Goals Made per game | 58th | 33rd | 25 | 8.20 vs. 9.03 | 0.83 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 108th | 37th | 71 | 15.98 vs. 19.52 | 3.55 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.52 vs. 0.03 | 0.49 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.04 vs. 0.19 | 1.85 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 31st | 17th | 14 | 6.11 vs. 6.58 | 0.47 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 19th | 14th | 5 | 8.52 vs. 8.94 | 0.42 |
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.