Dirk Nowitzki vs. Bill Walton: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dirk Nowitzki and Bill Walton all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Dirk Nowitzki, with a career spanning 21 seasons from 1999 to 2019, and Bill Walton, with 10 seasons played from 1975 to 1987, 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.

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Bill Walton
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton
Points
6th
+300th
18th
+300th
Rebounds
27th
294th
24th
230th
Assists
163rd
+300th
105th
+300th
Steals
96th
+300th
55th
+300th
Blocks
56th
100th
53rd
104th
Years2110154

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Bill Walton
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton
Points
59th
+300th
28th
+300th
Rebounds
181st
40th
61st
100th
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
+300th
+300th
276th
+300th
Blocks
228th
17th
188th
43rd

The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
* Some years in Bill Walton's career don't have data for these stats.

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
6th
+300th
+294 31,560 vs. 6,21525,345
Rebounds
27th
294th
267 11,489 vs. 4,9236,566
Assists
163rd
+300th
+137 3,651 vs. 1,5902,061
Steals
96th
+300th
+204 1,210 vs. 380830
Blocks
56th
100th
44 1,281 vs. 1,034247
Offensive Rebounds
237th
+300th
+63 1,468 vs. 1,103365
Defensive Rebounds
6th
187th
181 10,021 vs. 3,8206,201
Field Goals Made
8th
+300th
+292 11,169 vs. 2,5528,617
Field Goals Attempted
8th
+300th
+292 23,734 vs. 4,90018,834
3-Pointers Made
20th
+300th
+280 1,982 vs. 01,982
3-Pointers Attempted
23rd
+300th
+277 5,210 vs. 45,206
Free Throws Made
9th
+300th
+291 7,240 vs. 1,1116,129
Free Throws Attempted
18th
+300th
+282 8,239 vs. 1,6836,556

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
5th
+300th
1,522 vs. 4681,054
Seasons
3rd
+300th
21 vs. 1011

Triple-Doubles:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
205th
109th
96 2 vs. 53

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
62nd
-
20 vs. 020
50+ point games
50th
-
2 vs. 02
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
18th
+300th
+282 3,663 vs. 5283,135
Rebounds
24th
230th
206 1,446 vs. 4441,002
Assists
105th
+300th
+195 360 vs. 145215
Steals
55th
+300th
+245 149 vs. 32117
Blocks
53rd
104th
51 129 vs. 8346
Offensive Rebounds
83rd
272nd
189 212 vs. 95117
Defensive Rebounds
7th
168th
161 1,234 vs. 349885
Field Goals Made
21st
+300th
+279 1,220 vs. 230990
Field Goals Attempted
21st
+300th
+279 2,642 vs. 4382,204
3-Pointers Made
62nd
+300th
+238 149 vs. 0149
3-Pointers Attempted
63rd
+300th
+237 408 vs. 1407
Free Throws Made
10th
+300th
+290 1,074 vs. 681,006
Free Throws Attempted
14th
+300th
+286 1,204 vs. 1011,103

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
54th
+300th
145 vs. 4996
Playoffs
17th
+300th
15 vs. 411

Triple-Doubles:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
+300th
39th
0 vs. 11

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
20th
-
7 vs. 07
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
59th
+300th
+241 20.74 vs. 13.287.46
Rebounds per game
181st
40th
141 7.55 vs. 10.522.97
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.40 vs. 3.401.00
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.80 vs. 0.810.02
Blocks per game
228th
17th
211 0.84 vs. 2.211.37
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
125th
+175 0.96 vs. 2.361.39
Defensive Rebounds per game
54th
9th
45 6.58 vs. 8.161.58
Field Goals Made per game
91st
+300th
+209 7.34 vs. 5.451.89
Field Goals Attempted per game
102nd
+300th
+198 15.59 vs. 10.475.12
3-Pointers Made per game
271st
+300th
+29 1.30 vs. 0.001.30
3-Pointers Attempted per game
216th
+300th
+84 3.42 vs. 0.023.41
Free Throws Made per game
69th
+300th
+231 4.76 vs. 2.372.38
Free Throws Attempted per game
107th
+300th
+193 5.41 vs. 3.601.82

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Bill Walton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
28th
+300th
+272 25.26 vs. 10.7814.49
Rebounds per game
61st
100th
39 9.97 vs. 9.060.91
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.48 vs. 2.960.48
Steals per game
276th
+300th
+24 1.03 vs. 0.650.37
Blocks per game
188th
43rd
145 0.89 vs. 1.690.80
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
240th
+60 1.46 vs. 1.940.48
Defensive Rebounds per game
11th
41st
30 8.51 vs. 7.121.39
Field Goals Made per game
51st
+300th
+249 8.41 vs. 4.693.72
Field Goals Attempted per game
58th
+300th
+242 18.22 vs. 8.949.28
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
1.03 vs. 0.001.03
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
2.81 vs. 0.042.78
Free Throws Made per game
10th
+300th
+290 7.41 vs. 1.396.02
Free Throws Attempted per game
23rd
+300th
+277 8.30 vs. 2.066.24

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.