Gary Payton vs. Isiah Thomas: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Gary Payton and Isiah Thomas all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Gary Payton, with a career spanning 17 seasons from 1991 to 2007, and Isiah Thomas, with 13 seasons played from 1982 to 1994, 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.
Gary Payton vs. Isiah Thomas | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | |
| Points | 39th | 70th | 58th | 53rd |
| Rebounds | 255th | +300th | 158th | 188th |
| Assists | 11th | 10th | 29th | 16th |
| Steals | 5th | 18th | 30th | 23rd |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 299th | 257th |
| Years | 17 | 13 | 15 | 9 |
Gary Payton vs. Isiah Thomas | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | |
| Points | 206th | 90th | +300th | 87th |
| Rebounds | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Assists | 39th | 5th | 90th | 7th |
| Steals | 25th | 19th | 101st | 10th |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
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: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 39th | 70th | 31 | 21,813 vs. 18,822 | 2,991 |
| Rebounds | 255th | +300th | +45 | 5,269 vs. 3,478 | 1,791 |
| Assists | 11th | 10th | 1 | 8,966 vs. 9,061 | 95 |
| Steals | 5th | 18th | 13 | 2,445 vs. 1,861 | 584 |
| Blocks | +300th | +300th | 285 vs. 249 | 36 | |
| Offensive Rebounds | 265th | +300th | +35 | 1,392 vs. 951 | 441 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 180th | +300th | +120 | 3,877 vs. 2,527 | 1,350 |
| Field Goals Made | 26th | 71st | 45 | 8,708 vs. 7,194 | 1,514 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 30th | 52nd | 22 | 18,698 vs. 15,904 | 2,794 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 126th | +300th | +174 | 1,132 vs. 398 | 734 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 82nd | +300th | +218 | 3,570 vs. 1,373 | 2,197 |
| Free Throws Made | 142nd | 79th | 63 | 3,265 vs. 4,036 | 771 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 116th | 77th | 39 | 4,480 vs. 5,316 | 836 |
Games and Years: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 18th | 176th | 158 | 1,335 vs. 979 | 356 |
| Seasons | 58th | 300th | 242 | 17 vs. 13 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 45th | 109th | 64 | 15 vs. 5 | 10 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 139th | 98th | 41 | 6 vs. 10 | 4 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 58th | 53rd | 5 | 2,155 vs. 2,261 | 106 |
| Rebounds | 158th | 188th | 30 | 575 vs. 524 | 51 |
| Assists | 29th | 16th | 13 | 811 vs. 987 | 176 |
| Steals | 30th | 23rd | 7 | 216 vs. 234 | 18 |
| Blocks | 299th | 257th | 42 | 32 vs. 38 | 6 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 152nd | 181st | 29 | 148 vs. 134 | 14 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 120th | 142nd | 22 | 427 vs. 390 | 37 |
| Field Goals Made | 50th | 53rd | 3 | 855 vs. 825 | 30 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 48th | 53rd | 5 | 1,938 vs. 1,869 | 69 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 70th | 157th | 87 | 137 vs. 81 | 56 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 56th | 159th | 103 | 435 vs. 234 | 201 |
| Free Throws Made | 137th | 52nd | 85 | 308 vs. 530 | 222 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 122nd | 51st | 71 | 436 vs. 689 | 253 |
Games and Years: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 42nd | 126th | 84 | 154 vs. 111 | 43 |
| Playoffs | 17th | 223rd | 206 | 15 vs. 9 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 31st | 31st | 0 | 2 vs. 2 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | - | 78th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 206th | 90th | 116 | 16.34 vs. 19.23 | 2.89 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 3.95 vs. 3.55 | 0.39 | |
| Assists per game | 39th | 5th | 34 | 6.72 vs. 9.26 | 2.54 |
| Steals per game | 25th | 19th | 6 | 1.83 vs. 1.90 | 0.07 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.21 vs. 0.25 | 0.04 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.04 vs. 0.97 | 0.07 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 2.90 vs. 2.58 | 0.32 | |
| Field Goals Made per game | 175th | 87th | 88 | 6.52 vs. 7.35 | 0.83 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 183rd | 68th | 115 | 14.01 vs. 16.25 | 2.24 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.85 vs. 0.41 | 0.44 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.67 vs. 1.40 | 1.27 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 114th | +186 | 2.45 vs. 4.12 | 1.68 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 103rd | +197 | 3.36 vs. 5.43 | 2.07 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Gary Payton | Isiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | +300th | 87th | +213 | 13.99 vs. 20.37 | 6.38 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 3.73 vs. 4.72 | 0.99 | |
| Assists per game | 90th | 7th | 83 | 5.27 vs. 8.89 | 3.63 |
| Steals per game | 101st | 10th | 91 | 1.40 vs. 2.11 | 0.71 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | +300th | 0.21 vs. 0.34 | 0.13 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 1.21 | 0.25 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 2.77 vs. 3.51 | 0.74 | |
| Field Goals Made per game | 255th | 97th | 158 | 5.55 vs. 7.43 | 1.88 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 266th | 82nd | 184 | 12.58 vs. 16.84 | 4.25 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.89 vs. 0.73 | 0.16 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.82 vs. 2.11 | 0.72 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 92nd | +208 | 2.00 vs. 4.77 | 2.77 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 90th | +210 | 2.83 vs. 6.21 | 3.38 |
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.