Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Hakeem Olajuwon 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?
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 Hakeem Olajuwon, with a career spanning 18 seasons from 1985 to 2002, 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.
Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | |
Points | 14th | 9th | 16th | 5th |
Rebounds | 14th | 15th | 13th | 5th |
Assists | 230th | 235th | 73rd | 53rd |
Steals | 10th | +300th | 21st | 92nd |
Blocks | 1st | 8th | 3rd | 4th |
Years | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 |
Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | |
Points | 44th | 29th | 22nd | 36th |
Rebounds | 27th | 32nd | 27th | 23rd |
Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
Steals | 35th | +300th | 37th | +300th |
Blocks | 3rd | 15th | 1st | 15th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 14th | 9th | 5 | 26,946 vs. 28,596 | 1,650 |
Rebounds | 14th | 15th | 1 | 13,748 vs. 13,099 | 649 |
Assists | 230th | 235th | 5 | 3,058 vs. 3,026 | 32 |
Steals | 10th | +300th | +290 | 2,162 vs. 739 | 1,423 |
Blocks | 1st | 8th | 7 | 3,830 vs. 2,732 | 1,098 |
Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 6th | 3 | 4,034 vs. 4,209 | 175 |
Defensive Rebounds | 8th | 11th | 3 | 9,714 vs. 8,890 | 824 |
Field Goals Made | 10th | 7th | 3 | 10,749 vs. 11,330 | 581 |
Field Goals Attempted | 17th | 23rd | 6 | 20,991 vs. 19,457 | 1,534 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 25 vs. 1 | 24 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 124 vs. 22 | 102 | |
Free Throws Made | 29th | 25th | 4 | 5,423 vs. 5,935 | 512 |
Free Throws Attempted | 28th | 4th | 24 | 7,621 vs. 11,252 | 3,631 |
Games and Years: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 38th | 47th | 9 | 1,238 vs. 1,207 | 31 |
Seasons | 27th | 12th | 15 | 18 vs. 19 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 49th | 202nd | 153 | 14 vs. 2 | 12 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 39th | 21st | 18 | 32 vs. 49 | 17 |
50+ point games | 49th | 40th | 9 | 2 vs. 3 | 1 |
60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 16th | 5th | 11 | 3,755 vs. 5,250 | 1,495 |
Rebounds | 13th | 5th | 8 | 1,621 vs. 2,508 | 887 |
Assists | 73rd | 53rd | 20 | 458 vs. 582 | 124 |
Steals | 21st | 92nd | 71 | 245 vs. 117 | 128 |
Blocks | 3rd | 4th | 1 | 472 vs. 459 | 13 |
Offensive Rebounds | 11th | 1st | 10 | 471 vs. 866 | 395 |
Defensive Rebounds | 13th | 3rd | 10 | 1,150 vs. 1,642 | 492 |
Field Goals Made | 11th | 4th | 7 | 1,504 vs. 2,041 | 537 |
Field Goals Attempted | 17th | 7th | 10 | 2,847 vs. 3,627 | 780 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 18 vs. 0 | 18 | |
Free Throws Made | 26th | 8th | 18 | 743 vs. 1,168 | 425 |
Free Throws Attempted | 21st | 2nd | 19 | 1,034 vs. 2,317 | 1,283 |
Games and Years: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 54th | 9th | 45 | 145 vs. 216 | 71 |
Playoffs | 17th | 6th | 11 | 15 vs. 17 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 38th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 9th | 8th | 1 | 11 vs. 12 | 1 |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 44th | 29th | 15 | 21.77 vs. 23.69 | 1.93 |
Rebounds per game | 27th | 32nd | 5 | 11.11 vs. 10.85 | 0.25 |
Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.47 vs. 2.51 | 0.04 | |
Steals per game | 35th | +300th | +265 | 1.75 vs. 0.61 | 1.13 |
Blocks per game | 3rd | 15th | 12 | 3.09 vs. 2.26 | 0.83 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 16th | 10th | 6 | 3.26 vs. 3.49 | 0.23 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 17th | 31st | 14 | 7.85 vs. 7.37 | 0.48 |
Field Goals Made per game | 29th | 11th | 18 | 8.68 vs. 9.39 | 0.70 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | 74th | 24 | 16.96 vs. 16.12 | 0.84 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.00 | 0.02 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.10 vs. 0.02 | 0.08 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 93rd | 58th | 35 | 4.38 vs. 4.92 | 0.54 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 66th | 5th | 61 | 6.16 vs. 9.32 | 3.17 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 22nd | 36th | 14 | 25.90 vs. 24.31 | 1.59 |
Rebounds per game | 27th | 23rd | 4 | 11.18 vs. 11.61 | 0.43 |
Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.16 vs. 2.69 | 0.46 | |
Steals per game | 37th | +300th | +263 | 1.69 vs. 0.54 | 1.15 |
Blocks per game | 1st | 15th | 14 | 3.26 vs. 2.13 | 1.13 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 25th | 6th | 19 | 3.25 vs. 4.01 | 0.76 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 22nd | 27th | 5 | 7.93 vs. 7.60 | 0.33 |
Field Goals Made per game | 8th | 22nd | 14 | 10.37 vs. 9.45 | 0.92 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 34th | 83rd | 49 | 19.63 vs. 16.79 | 2.84 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.03 vs. 0.00 | 0.03 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.12 vs. 0.00 | 0.12 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 73rd | 60th | 13 | 5.12 vs. 5.41 | 0.28 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 46th | 2nd | 44 | 7.13 vs. 10.73 | 3.60 |
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.