Dirk Nowitzki vs. Paul Pierce: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce 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 Paul Pierce, with 19 seasons played from 1999 to 2017, 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. Paul Pierce
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce
Points
6th
19th
18th
23rd
Rebounds
27th
94th
24th
55th
Assists
163rd
84th
105th
54th
Steals
96th
22nd
55th
31st
Blocks
56th
176th
53rd
75th
3-Pointers Made
20th
16th
62nd
14th
Years21191514

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

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce
Points
59th
78th
28th
127th
Rebounds
181st
+300th
61st
+300th
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
266th
Steals
+300th
151st
276th
178th
Blocks
228th
+300th
188th
+300th
3-Pointers Made
271st
145th
+300th
124th

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 Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
6th
19th
13 31,560 vs. 26,3975,163
Rebounds
27th
94th
67 11,489 vs. 7,5273,962
Assists
163rd
84th
79 3,651 vs. 4,7081,057
Steals
96th
22nd
74 1,210 vs. 1,752542
Blocks
56th
176th
120 1,281 vs. 745536
Offensive Rebounds
237th
+300th
+63 1,468 vs. 1,092376
Defensive Rebounds
6th
45th
39 10,021 vs. 6,4353,586
Field Goals Made
8th
29th
21 11,169 vs. 8,6682,501
Field Goals Attempted
8th
23rd
15 23,734 vs. 19,4654,269
3-Pointers Made
20th
16th
4 1,982 vs. 2,143161
3-Pointers Attempted
23rd
13th
10 5,210 vs. 5,816606
Free Throws Made
9th
11th
2 7,240 vs. 6,918322
Free Throws Attempted
18th
14th
4 8,239 vs. 8,578339

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
5th
17th
12 1,522 vs. 1,343179
Seasons
3rd
13th
10 21 vs. 192

Triple-Doubles:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
205th
69th
136 2 vs. 97

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
62nd
58th
4 20 vs. 211
50+ point games
50th
76th
26 2 vs. 11
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
18th
23rd
5 3,663 vs. 3,180483
Rebounds
24th
55th
31 1,446 vs. 985461
Assists
105th
54th
51 360 vs. 579219
Steals
55th
31st
24 149 vs. 20455
Blocks
53rd
75th
22 129 vs. 10524
Offensive Rebounds
83rd
198th
115 212 vs. 12587
Defensive Rebounds
7th
31st
24 1,234 vs. 860374
Field Goals Made
21st
35th
14 1,220 vs. 1,022198
Field Goals Attempted
21st
27th
6 2,642 vs. 2,415227
3-Pointers Made
62nd
14th
48 149 vs. 276127
3-Pointers Attempted
63rd
14th
49 408 vs. 777369
Free Throws Made
10th
16th
6 1,074 vs. 860214
Free Throws Attempted
14th
20th
6 1,204 vs. 1,036168

Games and Years:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
54th
26th
28 145 vs. 17025
Playoffs
17th
30th
13 15 vs. 141

Triple-Doubles:

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

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
20th
49th
29 7 vs. 34
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
59th
78th
19 20.74 vs. 19.661.08
Rebounds per game
181st
+300th
+119 7.55 vs. 5.601.94
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.40 vs. 3.511.11
Steals per game
+300th
151st
+149 0.80 vs. 1.300.51
Blocks per game
228th
+300th
+72 0.84 vs. 0.550.29
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
0.96 vs. 0.810.15
Defensive Rebounds per game
54th
174th
120 6.58 vs. 4.791.79
Field Goals Made per game
91st
185th
94 7.34 vs. 6.450.88
Field Goals Attempted per game
102nd
152nd
50 15.59 vs. 14.491.10
3-Pointers Made per game
271st
145th
126 1.30 vs. 1.600.29
3-Pointers Attempted per game
216th
106th
110 3.42 vs. 4.330.91
Free Throws Made per game
69th
47th
22 4.76 vs. 5.150.39
Free Throws Attempted per game
107th
56th
51 5.41 vs. 6.390.97

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
28th
127th
99 25.26 vs. 18.716.56
Rebounds per game
61st
+300th
+239 9.97 vs. 5.794.18
Assists per game
+300th
266th
+34 2.48 vs. 3.410.92
Steals per game
276th
178th
98 1.03 vs. 1.200.17
Blocks per game
188th
+300th
+112 0.89 vs. 0.620.27
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.46 vs. 0.740.73
Defensive Rebounds per game
11th
149th
138 8.51 vs. 5.063.45
Field Goals Made per game
51st
208th
157 8.41 vs. 6.012.40
Field Goals Attempted per game
58th
177th
119 18.22 vs. 14.214.01
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
124th
+176 1.03 vs. 1.620.60
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
117th
+183 2.81 vs. 4.571.76
Free Throws Made per game
10th
79th
69 7.41 vs. 5.062.35
Free Throws Attempted per game
23rd
96th
73 8.30 vs. 6.092.21

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.