Elgin Baylor vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O'Neal 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 Elgin Baylor, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1959 to 1972, and Shaquille O'Neal, with 19 seasons played from 1993 to 2011, 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. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 35th | 9th | 20th | 5th |
| Rebounds | 28th | 15th | 10th | 5th |
| Assists | 161st | 236th | 57th | 53rd |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | 92nd |
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | n/a | 4th |
| Years | 14 | 19 | 12 | 17 |
Elgin Baylor vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 5th | 29th | 12th | 36th |
| Rebounds | 9th | 32nd | 12th | 23rd |
| Assists | 194th | +300th | 187th | +300th |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | +300th |
| Blocks | n/a | 15th | n/a | 15th |
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: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 35th | 9th | 26 | 23,149 vs. 28,596 | 5,447 |
| Rebounds | 28th | 15th | 13 | 11,463 vs. 13,099 | 1,636 |
| Assists | 161st | 236th | 75 | 3,650 vs. 3,026 | 624 |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 739 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | 0 vs. 2,732 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 6th | 0 vs. 4,209 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 11th | 0 vs. 8,890 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 27th | 7th | 20 | 8,693 vs. 11,330 | 2,637 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 19th | 23rd | 4 | 20,171 vs. 19,457 | 714 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 1 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 22 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 27th | 25th | 2 | 5,763 vs. 5,935 | 172 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 31st | 4th | 27 | 7,391 vs. 11,252 | 3,861 |
Games and Years: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 47th | +253 | 846 vs. 1,207 | 361 |
| Seasons | 194th | 12th | 182 | 14 vs. 19 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 21st | 202nd | 181 | 26 vs. 2 | 24 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 5th | 21st | 16 | 88 vs. 49 | 39 |
| 50+ point games | 5th | 40th | 35 | 17 vs. 3 | 14 |
| 60+ point games | 6th | 11th | 5 | 3 vs. 1 | 2 |
| 70+ point games | 2nd | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 20th | 5th | 15 | 3,623 vs. 5,250 | 1,627 |
| Rebounds | 10th | 5th | 5 | 1,724 vs. 2,508 | 784 |
| Assists | 57th | 53rd | 4 | 541 vs. 582 | 41 |
| Steals | n/a | 92nd | 0 vs. 117 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 4th | 0 vs. 459 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 1st | 0 vs. 866 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 3rd | 0 vs. 1,642 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 16th | 4th | 12 | 1,388 vs. 2,041 | 653 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 12th | 7th | 5 | 3,161 vs. 3,627 | 466 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 17th | 8th | 9 | 847 vs. 1,168 | 321 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 16th | 2nd | 14 | 1,098 vs. 2,317 | 1,219 |
Games and Years: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 80th | 9th | 71 | 134 vs. 216 | 82 |
| Playoffs | 76th | 6th | 70 | 12 vs. 17 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 13th | +300th | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 4th | 8th | 4 | 14 vs. 12 | 2 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | 1st | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 5th | 29th | 24 | 27.36 vs. 23.69 | 3.67 |
| Rebounds per game | 9th | 32nd | 23 | 13.55 vs. 10.85 | 2.70 |
| Assists per game | 194th | +300th | +106 | 4.31 vs. 2.51 | 1.81 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.61 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.26 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 10th | 0.00 vs. 3.49 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 32nd | 0.00 vs. 7.37 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 3rd | 11th | 8 | 10.28 vs. 9.39 | 0.89 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 1st | 74th | 73 | 23.84 vs. 16.12 | 7.72 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.02 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 11th | 58th | 47 | 6.81 vs. 4.92 | 1.89 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 10th | 5th | 5 | 8.74 vs. 9.32 | 0.59 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Elgin Baylor | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 12th | 36th | 24 | 27.04 vs. 24.31 | 2.73 |
| Rebounds per game | 12th | 23rd | 11 | 12.87 vs. 11.61 | 1.25 |
| Assists per game | 187th | +300th | +113 | 4.04 vs. 2.69 | 1.34 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.54 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.13 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 6th | 0.00 vs. 4.01 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 27th | 0.00 vs. 7.60 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 22nd | 13 | 10.36 vs. 9.45 | 0.91 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 4th | 83rd | 79 | 23.59 vs. 16.79 | 6.80 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 26th | 60th | 34 | 6.32 vs. 5.41 | 0.91 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 24th | 2nd | 22 | 8.19 vs. 10.73 | 2.53 |
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.