Dirk Nowitzki vs. Klay Thompson: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dirk Nowitzki and Klay Thompson 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
Filter: Career Stats - Mavericks

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 Klay Thompson, with 13 seasons played from 2012 to 2026, stand among the league's historical elite.

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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. Klay Thompson
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson
Points
6th
110th
18th
29th
Rebounds
27th
+300th
24th
136th
Assists
163rd
+300th
105th
113rd
Steals
96th
+300th
55th
54th
Blocks
56th
+300th
53rd
101st
3-Pointers Made
20th
5th
62nd
2nd
Years2113159

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Klay Thompson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson
Points
59th
108th
28th
114th
Rebounds
181st
+300th
61st
+300th
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
+300th
+300th
276th
+300th
Blocks
228th
+300th
188th
+300th
3-Pointers Made
271st
3rd
+300th
4th

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 Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
6th
110th
104 31,560 vs. 16,88314,677
Rebounds
27th
+300th
+273 11,489 vs. 3,1208,369
Assists
163rd
+300th
+137 3,651 vs. 2,0281,623
Steals
96th
+300th
+204 1,210 vs. 739471
Blocks
56th
+300th
+244 1,281 vs. 453828
Offensive Rebounds
237th
+300th
+63 1,468 vs. 4151,053
Defensive Rebounds
6th
+300th
+294 10,021 vs. 2,7057,316
Field Goals Made
8th
113rd
105 11,169 vs. 6,2784,891
Field Goals Attempted
8th
98th
90 23,734 vs. 13,9909,744
3-Pointers Made
20th
5th
15 1,982 vs. 2,782800
3-Pointers Attempted
23rd
6th
17 5,210 vs. 6,8031,593
Free Throws Made
9th
+300th
+291 7,240 vs. 1,5455,695
Free Throws Attempted
18th
+300th
+282 8,239 vs. 1,8026,437

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
5th
277th
272 1,522 vs. 896626
Seasons
3rd
300th
297 21 vs. 138

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
62nd
66th
4 20 vs. 182
50+ point games
50th
31st
19 2 vs. 42
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
18th
29th
11 3,663 vs. 3,032631
Rebounds
24th
136th
112 1,446 vs. 626820
Assists
105th
113rd
8 360 vs. 3519
Steals
55th
54th
1 149 vs. 1501
Blocks
53rd
101st
48 129 vs. 8544
Offensive Rebounds
83rd
+300th
+217 212 vs. 79133
Defensive Rebounds
7th
76th
69 1,234 vs. 547687
Field Goals Made
21st
28th
7 1,220 vs. 1,12694
Field Goals Attempted
21st
23rd
2 2,642 vs. 2,58557
3-Pointers Made
62nd
2nd
60 149 vs. 501352
3-Pointers Attempted
63rd
4th
59 408 vs. 1,237829
Free Throws Made
10th
158th
148 1,074 vs. 279795
Free Throws Attempted
14th
195th
181 1,204 vs. 330874

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
54th
39th
15 145 vs. 15813
Playoffs
17th
223rd
206 15 vs. 96

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
20th
78th
58 7 vs. 16
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
59th
108th
49 20.74 vs. 18.841.89
Rebounds per game
181st
+300th
+119 7.55 vs. 3.484.07
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.40 vs. 2.260.14
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.80 vs. 0.820.03
Blocks per game
228th
+300th
+72 0.84 vs. 0.510.34
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
0.96 vs. 0.460.50
Defensive Rebounds per game
54th
+300th
+246 6.58 vs. 3.023.57
Field Goals Made per game
91st
121st
30 7.34 vs. 7.010.33
Field Goals Attempted per game
102nd
100th
2 15.59 vs. 15.610.02
3-Pointers Made per game
271st
3rd
268 1.30 vs. 3.101.80
3-Pointers Attempted per game
216th
7th
209 3.42 vs. 7.594.17
Free Throws Made per game
69th
+300th
+231 4.76 vs. 1.723.03
Free Throws Attempted per game
107th
+300th
+193 5.41 vs. 2.013.40

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
28th
114th
86 25.26 vs. 19.196.07
Rebounds per game
61st
+300th
+239 9.97 vs. 3.966.01
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.48 vs. 2.220.26
Steals per game
276th
+300th
+24 1.03 vs. 0.950.08
Blocks per game
188th
+300th
+112 0.89 vs. 0.540.35
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.46 vs. 0.500.96
Defensive Rebounds per game
11th
+300th
+289 8.51 vs. 3.465.05
Field Goals Made per game
51st
116th
65 8.41 vs. 7.131.29
Field Goals Attempted per game
58th
97th
39 18.22 vs. 16.361.86
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
4th
+296 1.03 vs. 3.172.14
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
9th
+291 2.81 vs. 7.835.02
Free Throws Made per game
10th
+300th
+290 7.41 vs. 1.775.64
Free Throws Attempted per game
23rd
+300th
+277 8.30 vs. 2.096.21

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.