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?

Player comparisons:
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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years21201515

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Chris Paul
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:
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 Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
6th
36th
30 31,560 vs. 23,0118,549
Rebounds
27th
196th
169 11,489 vs. 5,9785,511
Assists
160th
2nd
158 3,651 vs. 12,4998,848
Steals
95th
2nd
93 1,210 vs. 2,7171,507
Blocks
55th
+300th
+245 1,281 vs. 2221,059
Offensive Rebounds
236th
+300th
+64 1,468 vs. 792676
Defensive Rebounds
6th
80th
74 10,021 vs. 5,1864,835
Field Goals Made
8th
41st
33 11,169 vs. 8,1473,022
Field Goals Attempted
8th
38th
30 23,734 vs. 17,3526,382
3-Pointers Made
20th
26th
6 1,982 vs. 1,860122
3-Pointers Attempted
21st
24th
3 5,210 vs. 5,029181
Free Throws Made
9th
44th
35 7,240 vs. 4,8572,383
Free Throws Attempted
18th
67th
49 8,239 vs. 5,5792,660

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
5th
15th
10 1,522 vs. 1,354168
Seasons
3rd
7th
4 21 vs. 201

Triple-Doubles:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
202nd
34th
168 2 vs. 1816

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
61st
121st
60 20 vs. 812
50+ point games
49th
-
2 vs. 02
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
18th
31st
13 3,663 vs. 2,981682
Rebounds
24th
99th
75 1,446 vs. 730716
Assists
105th
5th
100 360 vs. 1,233873
Steals
55th
11th
44 149 vs. 287138
Blocks
53rd
+300th
+247 129 vs. 3198
Offensive Rebounds
83rd
241st
158 212 vs. 106106
Defensive Rebounds
7th
60th
53 1,234 vs. 624610
Field Goals Made
21st
30th
9 1,220 vs. 1,106114
Field Goals Attempted
21st
32nd
11 2,642 vs. 2,287355
3-Pointers Made
62nd
21st
41 149 vs. 24495
3-Pointers Attempted
63rd
22nd
41 408 vs. 654246
Free Throws Made
10th
53rd
43 1,074 vs. 525549
Free Throws Attempted
14th
61st
47 1,204 vs. 615589

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
54th
48th
6 145 vs. 1494
Playoffs
17th
17th
0 15 vs. 150

Triple-Doubles:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
+300th
20th
0 vs. 33

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
20th
55th
35 7 vs. 25
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
58th
182nd
124 20.74 vs. 16.993.74
Rebounds per game
180th
+300th
+120 7.55 vs. 4.423.13
Assists per game
+300th
6th
+294 2.40 vs. 9.236.83
Steals per game
+300th
11th
+289 0.80 vs. 2.011.21
Blocks per game
226th
+300th
+74 0.84 vs. 0.160.68
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
0.96 vs. 0.580.38
Defensive Rebounds per game
53rd
+300th
+247 6.58 vs. 3.832.75
Field Goals Made per game
89th
236th
147 7.34 vs. 6.021.32
Field Goals Attempted per game
101st
253rd
152 15.59 vs. 12.822.78
3-Pointers Made per game
268th
233rd
35 1.30 vs. 1.370.07
3-Pointers Attempted per game
208th
166th
42 3.42 vs. 3.710.29
Free Throws Made per game
70th
173rd
103 4.76 vs. 3.591.17
Free Throws Attempted per game
106th
239th
133 5.41 vs. 4.121.29

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Chris Paul Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
28th
94th
66 25.26 vs. 20.015.26
Rebounds per game
61st
+300th
+239 9.97 vs. 4.905.07
Assists per game
+300th
14th
+286 2.48 vs. 8.285.79
Steals per game
276th
14th
262 1.03 vs. 1.930.90
Blocks per game
188th
+300th
+112 0.89 vs. 0.210.68
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.46 vs. 0.710.75
Defensive Rebounds per game
11th
243rd
232 8.51 vs. 4.194.32
Field Goals Made per game
51st
99th
48 8.41 vs. 7.420.99
Field Goals Attempted per game
58th
133rd
75 18.22 vs. 15.352.87
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
120th
+180 1.03 vs. 1.640.61
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
134th
+166 2.81 vs. 4.391.58
Free Throws Made per game
10th
229th
219 7.41 vs. 3.523.88
Free Throws Attempted per game
23rd
299th
276 8.30 vs. 4.134.18

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.