James Harden vs. Yao Ming: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare James Harden and Yao Ming 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 / Games against each other
Filter: Career Stats - Rockets

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where James Harden, with a career spanning 17 seasons from 2010 to 2026, and Yao Ming, with 8 seasons played from 2003 to 2011, 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.

James Harden vs. Yao Ming
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
James Harden Yao Ming James Harden Yao Ming
Points
11th
+300th
14th
+300th
Rebounds
161st
+300th
60th
+300th
Assists
13th
+300th
8th
+300th
Steals
25th
+300th
12th
+300th
Blocks
202nd
120th
84th
223rd
Years178164

James Harden vs. Yao Ming
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
James Harden Yao Ming James Harden Yao Ming
Points
27th
98th
51st
95th
Rebounds
+300th
87th
+300th
84th
Assists
31st
+300th
39th
+300th
Steals
84th
+300th
47th
+300th
Blocks
+300th
31st
+300th
67th

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:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
11th
+300th
+289 27,772 vs. 9,24718,525
Rebounds
161st
+300th
+139 6,492 vs. 4,4941,998
Assists
13th
+300th
+287 8,348 vs. 7697,579
Steals
25th
+300th
+275 1,720 vs. 1891,531
Blocks
202nd
120th
82 656 vs. 920264
Offensive Rebounds
+300th
+300th
871 vs. 1,233362
Defensive Rebounds
59th
259th
200 5,621 vs. 3,2612,360
Field Goals Made
39th
+300th
+261 8,199 vs. 3,3804,819
Field Goals Attempted
31st
+300th
+269 18,661 vs. 6,44512,216
3-Pointers Made
2nd
+300th
+298 3,185 vs. 23,183
3-Pointers Attempted
2nd
+300th
+298 8,778 vs. 108,768
Free Throws Made
5th
265th
260 8,189 vs. 2,4855,704
Free Throws Attempted
7th
+300th
+293 9,505 vs. 2,9846,521

Games and Years:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
66th
+300th
1,155 vs. 486669
Seasons
58th
+300th
17 vs. 89

Rankings by Points Scored:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
4th
276th
272 105 vs. 2103
50+ point games
4th
-
24 vs. 024
60+ point games
4th
-
4 vs. 04
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
14th
+300th
+286 3,895 vs. 5553,340
Rebounds
60th
+300th
+240 948 vs. 261687
Assists
8th
+300th
+292 1,125 vs. 291,096
Steals
12th
+300th
+288 282 vs. 9273
Blocks
84th
223rd
139 98 vs. 4256
Offensive Rebounds
195th
+300th
+105 126 vs. 7650
Defensive Rebounds
35th
+300th
+265 822 vs. 185637
Field Goals Made
24th
+300th
+276 1,173 vs. 195978
Field Goals Attempted
18th
+300th
+282 2,760 vs. 3762,384
3-Pointers Made
4th
+300th
+296 434 vs. 0434
3-Pointers Attempted
3rd
+300th
+297 1,275 vs. 01,275
Free Throws Made
9th
300th
291 1,115 vs. 165950
Free Throws Attempted
11th
+300th
+289 1,283 vs. 1981,085

Games and Years:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
23rd
+300th
173 vs. 28145
Playoffs
10th
+300th
16 vs. 412

Rankings by Points Scored:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
9th
-
11 vs. 011
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
27th
98th
71 24.05 vs. 19.035.02
Rebounds per game
+300th
87th
+213 5.62 vs. 9.253.63
Assists per game
31st
+300th
+269 7.23 vs. 1.585.65
Steals per game
84th
+300th
+216 1.49 vs. 0.391.10
Blocks per game
+300th
31st
+269 0.57 vs. 1.891.33
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
89th
+211 0.75 vs. 2.541.78
Defensive Rebounds per game
165th
50th
115 4.87 vs. 6.711.84
Field Goals Made per game
107th
125th
18 7.10 vs. 6.950.14
Field Goals Attempted per game
70th
223rd
153 16.16 vs. 13.262.90
3-Pointers Made per game
11th
+300th
+289 2.76 vs. 0.002.75
3-Pointers Attempted per game
5th
+300th
+295 7.60 vs. 0.027.58
Free Throws Made per game
6th
48th
42 7.09 vs. 5.111.98
Free Throws Attempted per game
18th
69th
51 8.23 vs. 6.142.09

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
51st
95th
44 22.51 vs. 19.822.69
Rebounds per game
+300th
84th
+216 5.48 vs. 9.323.84
Assists per game
39th
+300th
+261 6.50 vs. 1.045.47
Steals per game
47th
+300th
+253 1.63 vs. 0.321.31
Blocks per game
+300th
67th
+233 0.57 vs. 1.500.93
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
84th
+216 0.73 vs. 2.711.99
Defensive Rebounds per game
181st
59th
122 4.75 vs. 6.611.86
Field Goals Made per game
143rd
131st
12 6.78 vs. 6.960.18
Field Goals Attempted per game
109th
212nd
103 15.95 vs. 13.432.53
3-Pointers Made per game
15th
+300th
+285 2.51 vs. 0.002.51
3-Pointers Attempted per game
10th
+300th
+290 7.37 vs. 0.007.37
Free Throws Made per game
21st
37th
16 6.45 vs. 5.890.55
Free Throws Attempted per game
39th
48th
9 7.42 vs. 7.070.34

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.