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?

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 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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years14191217

Elgin Baylor vs. Shaquille O'Neal
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:

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 Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
35th
9th
26 23,149 vs. 28,5965,447
Rebounds
28th
15th
13 11,463 vs. 13,0991,636
Assists
161st
236th
75 3,650 vs. 3,026624
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. 11,3302,637
Field Goals Attempted
19th
23rd
4 20,171 vs. 19,457714
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. 5,935172
Free Throws Attempted
31st
4th
27 7,391 vs. 11,2523,861

Games and Years:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
47th
+253 846 vs. 1,207361
Seasons
194th
12th
182 14 vs. 195

Triple-Doubles:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
21st
202nd
181 26 vs. 224

Rankings by Points Scored:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
5th
21st
16 88 vs. 4939
50+ point games
5th
40th
35 17 vs. 314
60+ point games
6th
11th
5 3 vs. 12
70+ point games
2nd
-
1 vs. 01

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
20th
5th
15 3,623 vs. 5,2501,627
Rebounds
10th
5th
5 1,724 vs. 2,508784
Assists
57th
53rd
4 541 vs. 58241
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. 2,041653
Field Goals Attempted
12th
7th
5 3,161 vs. 3,627466
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. 1,168321
Free Throws Attempted
16th
2nd
14 1,098 vs. 2,3171,219

Games and Years:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
80th
9th
71 134 vs. 21682
Playoffs
76th
6th
70 12 vs. 175

Triple-Doubles:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
13th
+300th
4 vs. 04

Rankings by Points Scored:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
4th
8th
4 14 vs. 122
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 Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
5th
29th
24 27.36 vs. 23.693.67
Rebounds per game
9th
32nd
23 13.55 vs. 10.852.70
Assists per game
194th
+300th
+106 4.31 vs. 2.511.81
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. 9.390.89
Field Goals Attempted per game
1st
74th
73 23.84 vs. 16.127.72
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. 4.921.89
Free Throws Attempted per game
10th
5th
5 8.74 vs. 9.320.59

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Elgin Baylor Shaquille O'Neal Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
12th
36th
24 27.04 vs. 24.312.73
Rebounds per game
12th
23rd
11 12.87 vs. 11.611.25
Assists per game
187th
+300th
+113 4.04 vs. 2.691.34
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. 9.450.91
Field Goals Attempted per game
4th
83rd
79 23.59 vs. 16.796.80
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. 5.410.91
Free Throws Attempted per game
24th
2nd
22 8.19 vs. 10.732.53

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.