John Havlicek vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare John Havlicek and Dirk Nowitzki all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where John Havlicek, with a career spanning 16 seasons from 1963 to 1978, and Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons played from 1999 to 2019, 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.
John Havlicek vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | |
Points | 19th | 6th | 15th | 18th |
Rebounds | 82nd | 27th | 37th | 24th |
Assists | 40th | 160th | 28th | 105th |
Steals | +300th | 95th | 253rd | 55th |
Blocks | +300th | 55th | +300th | 53rd |
Years | 16 | 21 | 13 | 15 |
John Havlicek vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | |
Points | 56th | 58th | 57th | 28th |
Rebounds | +300th | 180th | 232nd | 61st |
Assists | 148th | +300th | 120th | +300th |
Steals | +300th | +300th | 215th | 276th |
Blocks | +300th | 226th | +300th | 188th |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
* Some years in John Havlicek's career don't have data for these stats.
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 19th | 6th | 13 | 26,395 vs. 31,560 | 5,165 |
Rebounds | 82nd | 27th | 55 | 8,007 vs. 11,489 | 3,482 |
Assists | 40th | 160th | 120 | 6,114 vs. 3,651 | 2,463 |
Steals | +300th | 95th | +205 | 476 vs. 1,210 | 734 |
Blocks | +300th | 55th | +245 | 117 vs. 1,281 | 1,164 |
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 236th | +64 | 610 vs. 1,468 | 858 |
Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 6th | +294 | 1,389 vs. 10,021 | 8,632 |
Field Goals Made | 13th | 8th | 5 | 10,513 vs. 11,169 | 656 |
Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 8th | 1 | 23,930 vs. 23,734 | 196 |
3-Pointers Made | n/a | 20th | 0 vs. 1,982 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | 21st | 0 vs. 5,210 | ||
Free Throws Made | 32nd | 9th | 23 | 5,369 vs. 7,240 | 1,871 |
Free Throws Attempted | 36th | 18th | 18 | 6,589 vs. 8,239 | 1,650 |
Games and Years: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 32nd | 5th | 27 | 1,270 vs. 1,522 | 252 |
Seasons | 87th | 3rd | 84 | 16 vs. 21 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 18th | 202nd | 184 | 31 vs. 2 | 29 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 88th | 61st | 27 | 12 vs. 20 | 8 |
50+ point games | - | 49th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 15th | 18th | 3 | 3,776 vs. 3,663 | 113 |
Rebounds | 37th | 24th | 13 | 1,186 vs. 1,446 | 260 |
Assists | 28th | 105th | 77 | 825 vs. 360 | 465 |
Steals | 253rd | 55th | 198 | 60 vs. 149 | 89 |
Blocks | +300th | 53rd | +247 | 16 vs. 129 | 113 |
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 83rd | +217 | 79 vs. 212 | 133 |
Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 7th | +293 | 199 vs. 1,234 | 1,035 |
Field Goals Made | 13th | 21st | 8 | 1,451 vs. 1,220 | 231 |
Field Goals Attempted | 11th | 21st | 10 | 3,329 vs. 2,642 | 687 |
3-Pointers Made | n/a | 62nd | 0 vs. 149 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | 63rd | 0 vs. 408 | ||
Free Throws Made | 15th | 10th | 5 | 874 vs. 1,074 | 200 |
Free Throws Attempted | 19th | 14th | 5 | 1,046 vs. 1,204 | 158 |
Games and Years: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 24th | 54th | 30 | 172 vs. 145 | 27 |
Playoffs | 45th | 17th | 28 | 13 vs. 15 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 12th | +300th | 5 vs. 0 | 5 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 20th | 8 | 5 vs. 7 | 2 |
50+ point games | 9th | 9th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 56th | 58th | 2 | 20.78 vs. 20.74 | 0.05 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 180th | +120 | 6.30 vs. 7.55 | 1.24 |
Assists per game | 148th | +300th | +152 | 4.81 vs. 2.40 | 2.42 |
Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 1.21 vs. 0.80 | 0.41 | |
Blocks per game | +300th | 226th | +74 | 0.30 vs. 0.84 | 0.55 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.54 vs. 0.96 | 0.58 | |
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 53rd | +247 | 3.52 vs. 6.58 | 3.07 |
Field Goals Made per game | 42nd | 89th | 47 | 8.28 vs. 7.34 | 0.94 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 20th | 101st | 81 | 18.84 vs. 15.59 | 3.25 |
3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | 268th | 0.00 vs. 1.30 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | 208th | 0.00 vs. 3.42 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 105th | 70th | 35 | 4.23 vs. 4.76 | 0.53 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 121st | 106th | 15 | 5.19 vs. 5.41 | 0.23 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 57th | 28th | 29 | 21.95 vs. 25.26 | 3.31 |
Rebounds per game | 232nd | 61st | 171 | 6.90 vs. 9.97 | 3.08 |
Assists per game | 120th | +300th | +180 | 4.80 vs. 2.48 | 2.31 |
Steals per game | 215th | 276th | 61 | 1.13 vs. 1.03 | 0.10 |
Blocks per game | +300th | 188th | +112 | 0.30 vs. 0.89 | 0.59 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.49 vs. 1.46 | 0.03 | |
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 3.75 vs. 8.51 | 4.76 |
Field Goals Made per game | 48th | 51st | 3 | 8.44 vs. 8.41 | 0.02 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 40th | 58th | 18 | 19.35 vs. 18.22 | 1.13 |
3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 1.03 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 2.81 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 75th | 10th | 65 | 5.08 vs. 7.41 | 2.33 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 98th | 23rd | 75 | 6.08 vs. 8.30 | 2.22 |
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.