Dirk Nowitzki vs. Chris Paul: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Paul 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
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 Chris Paul, with 20 seasons played from 2006 to 2025, 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, and 3-pointers made as a bonus) 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. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | |
Points | 6th | 36th | 18th | 31st |
Rebounds | 27th | 196th | 24th | 99th |
Assists | 160th | 2nd | 105th | 5th |
Steals | 95th | 2nd | 55th | 11th |
Blocks | 55th | +300th | 53rd | +300th |
3-Pointers Made | 20th | 26th | 62nd | 21st |
Years | 21 | 20 | 15 | 15 |
Dirk Nowitzki vs. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | |
Points | 58th | 182nd | 28th | 94th |
Rebounds | 180th | +300th | 61st | +300th |
Assists | +300th | 6th | +300th | 14th |
Steals | +300th | 11th | 276th | 14th |
Blocks | 226th | +300th | 188th | +300th |
3-Pointers Made | 268th | 233rd | +300th | 120th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 6th | 36th | 30 | 31,560 vs. 23,011 | 8,549 |
Rebounds | 27th | 196th | 169 | 11,489 vs. 5,978 | 5,511 |
Assists | 160th | 2nd | 158 | 3,651 vs. 12,499 | 8,848 |
Steals | 95th | 2nd | 93 | 1,210 vs. 2,717 | 1,507 |
Blocks | 55th | +300th | +245 | 1,281 vs. 222 | 1,059 |
Offensive Rebounds | 236th | +300th | +64 | 1,468 vs. 792 | 676 |
Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 80th | 74 | 10,021 vs. 5,186 | 4,835 |
Field Goals Made | 8th | 41st | 33 | 11,169 vs. 8,147 | 3,022 |
Field Goals Attempted | 8th | 38th | 30 | 23,734 vs. 17,352 | 6,382 |
3-Pointers Made | 20th | 26th | 6 | 1,982 vs. 1,860 | 122 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 21st | 24th | 3 | 5,210 vs. 5,029 | 181 |
Free Throws Made | 9th | 44th | 35 | 7,240 vs. 4,857 | 2,383 |
Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 67th | 49 | 8,239 vs. 5,579 | 2,660 |
Games and Years: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 5th | 15th | 10 | 1,522 vs. 1,354 | 168 |
Seasons | 3rd | 7th | 4 | 21 vs. 20 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 202nd | 34th | 168 | 2 vs. 18 | 16 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 61st | 121st | 60 | 20 vs. 8 | 12 |
50+ point games | 49th | - | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 18th | 31st | 13 | 3,663 vs. 2,981 | 682 |
Rebounds | 24th | 99th | 75 | 1,446 vs. 730 | 716 |
Assists | 105th | 5th | 100 | 360 vs. 1,233 | 873 |
Steals | 55th | 11th | 44 | 149 vs. 287 | 138 |
Blocks | 53rd | +300th | +247 | 129 vs. 31 | 98 |
Offensive Rebounds | 83rd | 241st | 158 | 212 vs. 106 | 106 |
Defensive Rebounds | 7th | 60th | 53 | 1,234 vs. 624 | 610 |
Field Goals Made | 21st | 30th | 9 | 1,220 vs. 1,106 | 114 |
Field Goals Attempted | 21st | 32nd | 11 | 2,642 vs. 2,287 | 355 |
3-Pointers Made | 62nd | 21st | 41 | 149 vs. 244 | 95 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 63rd | 22nd | 41 | 408 vs. 654 | 246 |
Free Throws Made | 10th | 53rd | 43 | 1,074 vs. 525 | 549 |
Free Throws Attempted | 14th | 61st | 47 | 1,204 vs. 615 | 589 |
Games and Years: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 54th | 48th | 6 | 145 vs. 149 | 4 |
Playoffs | 17th | 17th | 0 | 15 vs. 15 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | +300th | 20th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 20th | 55th | 35 | 7 vs. 2 | 5 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 58th | 182nd | 124 | 20.74 vs. 16.99 | 3.74 |
Rebounds per game | 180th | +300th | +120 | 7.55 vs. 4.42 | 3.13 |
Assists per game | +300th | 6th | +294 | 2.40 vs. 9.23 | 6.83 |
Steals per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 0.80 vs. 2.01 | 1.21 |
Blocks per game | 226th | +300th | +74 | 0.84 vs. 0.16 | 0.68 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 0.58 | 0.38 | |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 53rd | +300th | +247 | 6.58 vs. 3.83 | 2.75 |
Field Goals Made per game | 89th | 236th | 147 | 7.34 vs. 6.02 | 1.32 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 101st | 253rd | 152 | 15.59 vs. 12.82 | 2.78 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 268th | 233rd | 35 | 1.30 vs. 1.37 | 0.07 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 208th | 166th | 42 | 3.42 vs. 3.71 | 0.29 |
Free Throws Made per game | 70th | 173rd | 103 | 4.76 vs. 3.59 | 1.17 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 106th | 239th | 133 | 5.41 vs. 4.12 | 1.29 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 28th | 94th | 66 | 25.26 vs. 20.01 | 5.26 |
Rebounds per game | 61st | +300th | +239 | 9.97 vs. 4.90 | 5.07 |
Assists per game | +300th | 14th | +286 | 2.48 vs. 8.28 | 5.79 |
Steals per game | 276th | 14th | 262 | 1.03 vs. 1.93 | 0.90 |
Blocks per game | 188th | +300th | +112 | 0.89 vs. 0.21 | 0.68 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.46 vs. 0.71 | 0.75 | |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 11th | 243rd | 232 | 8.51 vs. 4.19 | 4.32 |
Field Goals Made per game | 51st | 99th | 48 | 8.41 vs. 7.42 | 0.99 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 58th | 133rd | 75 | 18.22 vs. 15.35 | 2.87 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 120th | +180 | 1.03 vs. 1.64 | 0.61 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 134th | +166 | 2.81 vs. 4.39 | 1.58 |
Free Throws Made per game | 10th | 229th | 219 | 7.41 vs. 3.52 | 3.88 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 23rd | 299th | 276 | 8.30 vs. 4.13 | 4.18 |
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.