Dirk Nowitzki vs. James Worthy: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dirk Nowitzki and James Worthy 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 Dirk Nowitzki, with a career spanning 21 seasons from 1999 to 2019, and James Worthy, with 12 seasons played from 1983 to 1994, 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. James Worthy | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | |
| Points | 6th | 119th | 18th | 29th |
| Rebounds | 27th | +300th | 24th | 90th |
| Assists | 160th | 280th | 105th | 72nd |
| Steals | 95th | 165th | 55th | 39th |
| Blocks | 55th | 222nd | 53rd | 87th |
| Years | 21 | 12 | 15 | 9 |
Dirk Nowitzki vs. James Worthy | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | |
| Points | 58th | 152nd | 28th | 73rd |
| Rebounds | 180th | +300th | 61st | +300th |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | 296th |
| Steals | +300th | 261st | 276th | 150th |
| Blocks | 227th | +300th | 188th | +300th |
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: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 6th | 119th | 113 | 31,560 vs. 16,320 | 15,240 |
| Rebounds | 27th | +300th | +273 | 11,489 vs. 4,708 | 6,781 |
| Assists | 160th | 280th | 120 | 3,651 vs. 2,791 | 860 |
| Steals | 95th | 165th | 70 | 1,210 vs. 1,041 | 169 |
| Blocks | 55th | 222nd | 167 | 1,281 vs. 624 | 657 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 236th | 207th | 29 | 1,468 vs. 1,561 | 93 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 281st | 275 | 10,021 vs. 3,147 | 6,874 |
| Field Goals Made | 8th | 84th | 76 | 11,169 vs. 6,878 | 4,291 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 8th | 120th | 112 | 23,734 vs. 13,204 | 10,530 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 20th | +300th | +280 | 1,982 vs. 117 | 1,865 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 21st | +300th | +279 | 5,210 vs. 486 | 4,724 |
| Free Throws Made | 9th | 271st | 262 | 7,240 vs. 2,447 | 4,793 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 276th | 258 | 8,239 vs. 3,184 | 5,055 |
Games and Years: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 5th | 233rd | 228 | 1,522 vs. 926 | 596 |
| Seasons | 3rd | +300th | 21 vs. 12 | 9 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 202nd | +300th | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 61st | - | 20 vs. 0 | 20 | |
| 50+ point games | 49th | - | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 18th | 29th | 11 | 3,663 vs. 3,022 | 641 |
| Rebounds | 24th | 90th | 66 | 1,446 vs. 747 | 699 |
| Assists | 105th | 72nd | 33 | 360 vs. 463 | 103 |
| Steals | 55th | 39th | 16 | 149 vs. 177 | 28 |
| Blocks | 53rd | 87th | 34 | 129 vs. 96 | 33 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 83rd | 50th | 33 | 212 vs. 257 | 45 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 7th | 94th | 87 | 1,234 vs. 490 | 744 |
| Field Goals Made | 21st | 20th | 1 | 1,220 vs. 1,267 | 47 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 21st | 31st | 10 | 2,642 vs. 2,329 | 313 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 62nd | +300th | +238 | 149 vs. 14 | 135 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 63rd | +300th | +237 | 408 vs. 67 | 341 |
| Free Throws Made | 10th | 62nd | 52 | 1,074 vs. 474 | 600 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 14th | 55th | 41 | 1,204 vs. 652 | 552 |
Games and Years: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 54th | 61st | 7 | 145 vs. 143 | 2 |
| Playoffs | 17th | 223rd | 206 | 15 vs. 9 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 38th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 20th | 78th | 58 | 7 vs. 1 | 6 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 58th | 152nd | 94 | 20.74 vs. 17.62 | 3.11 |
| Rebounds per game | 180th | +300th | +120 | 7.55 vs. 5.08 | 2.46 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.40 vs. 3.01 | 0.62 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 261st | +39 | 0.80 vs. 1.12 | 0.33 |
| Blocks per game | 227th | +300th | +73 | 0.84 vs. 0.67 | 0.17 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 1.69 | 0.72 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 54th | +300th | +246 | 6.58 vs. 3.40 | 3.19 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 89th | 82nd | 7 | 7.34 vs. 7.43 | 0.09 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 101st | 171st | 70 | 15.59 vs. 14.26 | 1.33 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 268th | +300th | +32 | 1.30 vs. 0.13 | 1.18 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 209th | +300th | +91 | 3.42 vs. 0.52 | 2.90 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 70th | +300th | +230 | 4.76 vs. 2.64 | 2.11 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 106th | +300th | +194 | 5.41 vs. 3.44 | 1.97 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Dirk Nowitzki | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 28th | 73rd | 45 | 25.26 vs. 21.13 | 4.13 |
| Rebounds per game | 61st | +300th | +239 | 9.97 vs. 5.22 | 4.75 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 296th | +4 | 2.48 vs. 3.24 | 0.76 |
| Steals per game | 276th | 150th | 126 | 1.03 vs. 1.24 | 0.21 |
| Blocks per game | 188th | +300th | +112 | 0.89 vs. 0.67 | 0.22 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 281st | +19 | 1.46 vs. 1.80 | 0.34 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 11th | +300th | +289 | 8.51 vs. 3.43 | 5.08 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 51st | 39th | 12 | 8.41 vs. 8.86 | 0.45 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 58th | 101st | 43 | 18.22 vs. 16.29 | 1.93 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 1.03 vs. 0.10 | 0.93 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.81 vs. 0.47 | 2.35 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 10th | 266th | 256 | 7.41 vs. 3.31 | 4.09 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 23rd | 237th | 214 | 8.30 vs. 4.56 | 3.74 |
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.