Gary Payton vs. Klay Thompson: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Gary Payton and Klay Thompson 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings

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 Klay Thompson, with 12 seasons played from 2012 to 2025, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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. Klay Thompson
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Gary Payton Klay Thompson Gary Payton Klay Thompson
Points
39th
111st
58th
29th
Rebounds
254th
+300th
158th
136th
Assists
11th
+300th
29th
113rd
Steals
5th
+300th
30th
54th
Blocks
+300th
+300th
299th
101st
Years1712159

Gary Payton vs. Klay Thompson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Gary Payton Klay Thompson Gary Payton Klay Thompson
Points
205th
93rd
+300th
114th
Rebounds
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Assists
39th
+300th
90th
+300th
Steals
25th
+300th
101st
+300th
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 Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
39th
111st
72 21,813 vs. 16,5365,277
Rebounds
254th
+300th
+46 5,269 vs. 3,0412,228
Assists
11th
+300th
+289 8,966 vs. 1,9886,978
Steals
5th
+300th
+295 2,445 vs. 7261,719
Blocks
+300th
+300th
285 vs. 443158
Offensive Rebounds
265th
+300th
+35 1,392 vs. 406986
Defensive Rebounds
180th
+300th
+120 3,877 vs. 2,6351,242
Field Goals Made
26th
125th
99 8,708 vs. 6,1552,553
Field Goals Attempted
30th
105th
75 18,698 vs. 13,6595,039
3-Pointers Made
126th
5th
121 1,132 vs. 2,6971,565
3-Pointers Attempted
82nd
6th
76 3,570 vs. 6,5632,993
Free Throws Made
142nd
+300th
+158 3,265 vs. 1,5291,736
Free Throws Attempted
116th
+300th
+184 4,480 vs. 1,7782,702

Games and Years:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
18th
+300th
1,335 vs. 865470
Seasons
51st
+300th
17 vs. 125

Rankings by Points Scored:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
138th
64th
74 6 vs. 1812
50+ point games
-
29th
0 vs. 44
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
58th
29th
29 2,155 vs. 3,032877
Rebounds
158th
136th
22 575 vs. 62651
Assists
29th
113rd
84 811 vs. 351460
Steals
30th
54th
24 216 vs. 15066
Blocks
299th
101st
198 32 vs. 8553
Offensive Rebounds
152nd
+300th
+148 148 vs. 7969
Defensive Rebounds
120th
76th
44 427 vs. 547120
Field Goals Made
50th
28th
22 855 vs. 1,126271
Field Goals Attempted
48th
23rd
25 1,938 vs. 2,585647
3-Pointers Made
70th
2nd
68 137 vs. 501364
3-Pointers Attempted
56th
4th
52 435 vs. 1,237802
Free Throws Made
137th
158th
21 308 vs. 27929
Free Throws Attempted
122nd
195th
73 436 vs. 330106

Games and Years:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
42nd
39th
3 154 vs. 1584
Playoffs
17th
223rd
206 15 vs. 96

Rankings by Points Scored:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson 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 Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
205th
93rd
112 16.34 vs. 19.122.78
Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
3.95 vs. 3.520.43
Assists per game
39th
+300th
+261 6.72 vs. 2.304.42
Steals per game
25th
+300th
+275 1.83 vs. 0.840.99
Blocks per game
+300th
+300th
0.21 vs. 0.510.30
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
1.04 vs. 0.470.57
Defensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
2.90 vs. 3.050.14
Field Goals Made per game
174th
104th
70 6.52 vs. 7.120.59
Field Goals Attempted per game
183rd
89th
94 14.01 vs. 15.791.78
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
2nd
+298 0.85 vs. 3.122.27
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
6th
+294 2.67 vs. 7.594.91
Free Throws Made per game
+300th
+300th
2.45 vs. 1.770.68
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
3.36 vs. 2.061.30

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Gary Payton Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
+300th
114th
+186 13.99 vs. 19.195.20
Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
3.73 vs. 3.960.23
Assists per game
90th
+300th
+210 5.27 vs. 2.223.04
Steals per game
101st
+300th
+199 1.40 vs. 0.950.45
Blocks per game
+300th
+300th
0.21 vs. 0.540.33
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
0.96 vs. 0.500.46
Defensive Rebounds per game
+300th
+300th
2.77 vs. 3.460.69
Field Goals Made per game
255th
116th
139 5.55 vs. 7.131.57
Field Goals Attempted per game
266th
97th
169 12.58 vs. 16.363.78
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
4th
+296 0.89 vs. 3.172.28
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
9th
+291 2.82 vs. 7.835.00
Free Throws Made per game
+300th
+300th
2.00 vs. 1.770.23
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
2.83 vs. 2.090.74

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.