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?

Player comparisons:
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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years1713159

Gary Payton vs. Isiah Thomas
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:

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:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
39th
70th
31 21,813 vs. 18,8222,991
Rebounds
255th
+300th
+45 5,269 vs. 3,4781,791
Assists
11th
10th
1 8,966 vs. 9,06195
Steals
5th
18th
13 2,445 vs. 1,861584
Blocks
+300th
+300th
285 vs. 24936
Offensive Rebounds
265th
+300th
+35 1,392 vs. 951441
Defensive Rebounds
180th
+300th
+120 3,877 vs. 2,5271,350
Field Goals Made
26th
71st
45 8,708 vs. 7,1941,514
Field Goals Attempted
30th
52nd
22 18,698 vs. 15,9042,794
3-Pointers Made
126th
+300th
+174 1,132 vs. 398734
3-Pointers Attempted
82nd
+300th
+218 3,570 vs. 1,3732,197
Free Throws Made
142nd
79th
63 3,265 vs. 4,036771
Free Throws Attempted
116th
77th
39 4,480 vs. 5,316836

Games and Years:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
18th
176th
158 1,335 vs. 979356
Seasons
58th
300th
242 17 vs. 134

Triple-Doubles:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
45th
109th
64 15 vs. 510

Rankings by Points Scored:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
139th
98th
41 6 vs. 104
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
58th
53rd
5 2,155 vs. 2,261106
Rebounds
158th
188th
30 575 vs. 52451
Assists
29th
16th
13 811 vs. 987176
Steals
30th
23rd
7 216 vs. 23418
Blocks
299th
257th
42 32 vs. 386
Offensive Rebounds
152nd
181st
29 148 vs. 13414
Defensive Rebounds
120th
142nd
22 427 vs. 39037
Field Goals Made
50th
53rd
3 855 vs. 82530
Field Goals Attempted
48th
53rd
5 1,938 vs. 1,86969
3-Pointers Made
70th
157th
87 137 vs. 8156
3-Pointers Attempted
56th
159th
103 435 vs. 234201
Free Throws Made
137th
52nd
85 308 vs. 530222
Free Throws Attempted
122nd
51st
71 436 vs. 689253

Games and Years:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
42nd
126th
84 154 vs. 11143
Playoffs
17th
223rd
206 15 vs. 96

Triple-Doubles:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
31st
31st
0 2 vs. 20

Rankings by Points Scored:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
-
78th
0 vs. 11
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
206th
90th
116 16.34 vs. 19.232.89
Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
3.95 vs. 3.550.39
Assists per game
39th
5th
34 6.72 vs. 9.262.54
Steals per game
25th
19th
6 1.83 vs. 1.900.07
Blocks per game
+300th
+300th
0.21 vs. 0.250.04
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.04 vs. 0.970.07
Defensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
2.90 vs. 2.580.32
Field Goals Made per game
175th
87th
88 6.52 vs. 7.350.83
Field Goals Attempted per game
183rd
68th
115 14.01 vs. 16.252.24
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.85 vs. 0.410.44
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
2.67 vs. 1.401.27
Free Throws Made per game
+300th
114th
+186 2.45 vs. 4.121.68
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
103rd
+197 3.36 vs. 5.432.07

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Gary Payton Isiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
+300th
87th
+213 13.99 vs. 20.376.38
Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
3.73 vs. 4.720.99
Assists per game
90th
7th
83 5.27 vs. 8.893.63
Steals per game
101st
10th
91 1.40 vs. 2.110.71
Blocks per game
+300th
+300th
0.21 vs. 0.340.13
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
0.96 vs. 1.210.25
Defensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
2.77 vs. 3.510.74
Field Goals Made per game
255th
97th
158 5.55 vs. 7.431.88
Field Goals Attempted per game
266th
82nd
184 12.58 vs. 16.844.25
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.89 vs. 0.730.16
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
2.82 vs. 2.110.72
Free Throws Made per game
+300th
92nd
+208 2.00 vs. 4.772.77
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
90th
+210 2.83 vs. 6.213.38

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.