Dwight Howard vs. Jerry West: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Dwight Howard and Jerry West 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 / Stats / Stats Rankings
Filter: Career Stats - Lakers

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Dwight Howard, with a career spanning 18 seasons from 2005 to 2022, and Jerry West, with 14 seasons played from 1961 to 1974, 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.

Dwight Howard vs. Jerry West
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Dwight Howard Jerry West Dwight Howard Jerry West
Points
57th
27th
78th
9th
Rebounds
10th
245th
19th
72nd
Assists
+300th
37th
+300th
17th
Steals
146th
+300th
129th
+300th
Blocks
13th
+300th
13th
+300th
Years18141213

Dwight Howard vs. Jerry West
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Dwight Howard Jerry West Dwight Howard Jerry West
Points
248th
7th
235th
5th
Rebounds
20th
+300th
21st
+300th
Assists
+300th
43rd
+300th
44th
Steals
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Blocks
37th
+300th
21st
+300th

Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
* Some years in Jerry West's career don't have data for these stats.

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:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
57th
27th
30 19,485 vs. 25,1925,707
Rebounds
10th
245th
235 14,627 vs. 5,3669,261
Assists
+300th
37th
+263 1,676 vs. 6,2384,562
Steals
146th
+300th
+154 1,081 vs. 811,000
Blocks
13th
+300th
+287 2,228 vs. 232,205
Offensive Rebounds
7th
+300th
+293 4,151 vs. 304,121
Defensive Rebounds
4th
+300th
+296 10,476 vs. 8610,390
Field Goals Made
78th
25th
53 7,051 vs. 9,0161,965
Field Goals Attempted
162nd
27th
135 12,016 vs. 19,0327,016
3-Pointers Made
+300th
n/a
22 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
n/a
103 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
33rd
10th
23 5,361 vs. 7,1601,799
Free Throws Attempted
8th
11th
3 9,455 vs. 8,801654

Games and Years:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
38th
226th
188 1,242 vs. 932310
Seasons
29th
194th
165 18 vs. 144

Triple-Doubles:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
275th
41st
234 1 vs. 1615

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
185th
14th
171 4 vs. 6662
50+ point games
-
23rd
0 vs. 55
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
78th
9th
69 1,909 vs. 4,4572,548
Rebounds
19th
72nd
53 1,473 vs. 855618
Assists
+300th
17th
+283 149 vs. 970821
Steals
129th
+300th
+171 94 vs. 094
Blocks
13th
+300th
+287 248 vs. 0248
Offensive Rebounds
16th
+300th
+284 441 vs. 0441
Defensive Rebounds
19th
+300th
+281 1,032 vs. 21,030
Field Goals Made
87th
9th
78 681 vs. 1,622941
Field Goals Attempted
148th
10th
138 1,156 vs. 3,4602,304
3-Pointers Made
+300th
n/a
1 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
n/a
7 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
50th
7th
43 546 vs. 1,213667
Free Throws Attempted
24th
8th
16 997 vs. 1,506509

Games and Years:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
95th
44th
51 125 vs. 15328
Playoffs
76th
45th
31 12 vs. 131

Triple-Doubles:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
+300th
38th
0 vs. 11

Rankings by Points Scored:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
55th
3rd
52 2 vs. 2018
50+ point games
-
5th
0 vs. 22
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
248th
7th
241 15.69 vs. 27.0311.34
Rebounds per game
20th
+300th
+280 11.78 vs. 5.766.02
Assists per game
+300th
43rd
+257 1.35 vs. 6.695.34
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.87 vs. 2.611.74
Blocks per game
37th
+300th
+263 1.79 vs. 0.741.05
Offensive Rebounds per game
13th
+300th
+287 3.34 vs. 0.972.37
Defensive Rebounds per game
3rd
+300th
+297 8.43 vs. 2.775.66
Field Goals Made per game
288th
8th
280 5.68 vs. 9.674.00
Field Goals Attempted per game
+300th
8th
+292 9.67 vs. 20.4210.75
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
n/a
0.02 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
n/a
0.08 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
97th
3rd
94 4.32 vs. 7.683.37
Free Throws Attempted per game
26th
4th
22 7.61 vs. 9.441.83

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Dwight Howard Jerry West Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
235th
5th
230 15.27 vs. 29.1313.86
Rebounds per game
21st
+300th
+279 11.78 vs. 5.596.20
Assists per game
+300th
44th
+256 1.19 vs. 6.345.15
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.75 vs. 0.000.75
Blocks per game
21st
+300th
+279 1.98 vs. 0.001.98
Offensive Rebounds per game
19th
+300th
+281 3.53 vs. 0.003.53
Defensive Rebounds per game
17th
+300th
+283 8.26 vs. 2.006.26
Field Goals Made per game
268th
5th
263 5.45 vs. 10.605.15
Field Goals Attempted per game
+300th
9th
+291 9.25 vs. 22.6113.37
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
n/a
0.01 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
n/a
0.06 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
125th
6th
119 4.37 vs. 7.933.56
Free Throws Attempted per game
29th
9th
20 7.98 vs. 9.841.87

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.