Elgin Baylor vs. Gary Payton: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Elgin Baylor and Gary Payton 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 Elgin Baylor, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1959 to 1972, and Gary Payton, with 17 seasons played from 1991 to 2007, 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.

Elgin Baylor vs. Gary Payton
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Elgin Baylor Gary Payton
Points
35th
39th
20th
58th
Rebounds
28th
255th
10th
158th
Assists
161st
11th
57th
29th
Steals
n/a
5th
n/a
30th
Blocks
n/a
+300th
n/a
299th
Years14171215

Elgin Baylor vs. Gary Payton
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Elgin Baylor Gary Payton
Points
5th
206th
12th
+300th
Rebounds
9th
+300th
12th
+300th
Assists
194th
39th
187th
90th
Steals
n/a
25th
n/a
101st
Blocks
n/a
+300th
n/a
+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.

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:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
35th
39th
4 23,149 vs. 21,8131,336
Rebounds
28th
255th
227 11,463 vs. 5,2696,194
Assists
161st
11th
150 3,650 vs. 8,9665,316
Steals
n/a
5th
0 vs. 2,445
Blocks
n/a
+300th
0 vs. 285
Offensive Rebounds
n/a
265th
0 vs. 1,392
Defensive Rebounds
n/a
180th
0 vs. 3,877
Field Goals Made
27th
26th
1 8,693 vs. 8,70815
Field Goals Attempted
19th
30th
11 20,171 vs. 18,6981,473
3-Pointers Made
n/a
126th
0 vs. 1,132
3-Pointers Attempted
n/a
82nd
0 vs. 3,570
Free Throws Made
27th
142nd
115 5,763 vs. 3,2652,498
Free Throws Attempted
31st
116th
85 7,391 vs. 4,4802,911

Games and Years:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
18th
+282 846 vs. 1,335489
Seasons
194th
58th
136 14 vs. 173

Triple-Doubles:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
21st
45th
24 26 vs. 1511

Rankings by Points Scored:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
5th
139th
134 88 vs. 682
50+ point games
5th
-
17 vs. 017
60+ point games
6th
-
3 vs. 03
70+ point games
2nd
-
1 vs. 01

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
20th
58th
38 3,623 vs. 2,1551,468
Rebounds
10th
158th
148 1,724 vs. 5751,149
Assists
57th
29th
28 541 vs. 811270
Steals
n/a
30th
0 vs. 216
Blocks
n/a
299th
0 vs. 32
Offensive Rebounds
n/a
152nd
0 vs. 148
Defensive Rebounds
n/a
120th
0 vs. 427
Field Goals Made
16th
50th
34 1,388 vs. 855533
Field Goals Attempted
12th
48th
36 3,161 vs. 1,9381,223
3-Pointers Made
n/a
70th
0 vs. 137
3-Pointers Attempted
n/a
56th
0 vs. 435
Free Throws Made
17th
137th
120 847 vs. 308539
Free Throws Attempted
16th
122nd
106 1,098 vs. 436662

Games and Years:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
80th
42nd
38 134 vs. 15420
Playoffs
76th
17th
59 12 vs. 153

Triple-Doubles:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
13th
31st
18 4 vs. 22

Rankings by Points Scored:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
4th
-
14 vs. 014
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
1st
-
1 vs. 01
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
5th
206th
201 27.36 vs. 16.3411.02
Rebounds per game
9th
+300th
+291 13.55 vs. 3.959.60
Assists per game
194th
39th
155 4.31 vs. 6.722.40
Steals per game
n/a
25th
0.00 vs. 1.83
Blocks per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.21
Offensive Rebounds per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 1.04
Defensive Rebounds per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 2.90
Field Goals Made per game
3rd
175th
172 10.28 vs. 6.523.75
Field Goals Attempted per game
1st
183rd
182 23.84 vs. 14.019.84
3-Pointers Made per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.85
3-Pointers Attempted per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 2.67
Free Throws Made per game
11th
+300th
+289 6.81 vs. 2.454.37
Free Throws Attempted per game
10th
+300th
+290 8.74 vs. 3.365.38

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Elgin Baylor Gary Payton Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
12th
+300th
+288 27.04 vs. 13.9913.04
Rebounds per game
12th
+300th
+288 12.87 vs. 3.739.13
Assists per game
187th
90th
97 4.04 vs. 5.271.23
Steals per game
n/a
101st
0.00 vs. 1.40
Blocks per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.21
Offensive Rebounds per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.96
Defensive Rebounds per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 2.77
Field Goals Made per game
9th
255th
246 10.36 vs. 5.554.81
Field Goals Attempted per game
4th
266th
262 23.59 vs. 12.5811.01
3-Pointers Made per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.89
3-Pointers Attempted per game
n/a
+300th
0.00 vs. 2.82
Free Throws Made per game
26th
+300th
+274 6.32 vs. 2.004.32
Free Throws Attempted per game
24th
+300th
+276 8.19 vs. 2.835.36

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.