John Havlicek vs. Karl Malone: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare John Havlicek and Karl Malone 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 Karl Malone, with 19 seasons played from 1986 to 2004, 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. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
John Havlicek | Karl Malone | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | |
Points | 19th | 3rd | 15th | 8th |
Rebounds | 82nd | 7th | 37th | 7th |
Assists | 40th | 63rd | 28th | 45th |
Steals | +300th | 12th | 253rd | 17th |
Blocks | +300th | 74th | +300th | 50th |
Years | 16 | 19 | 13 | 19 |
John Havlicek vs. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
John Havlicek | Karl Malone | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | |
Points | 56th | 15th | 57th | 33rd |
Rebounds | +300th | 51st | 232nd | 38th |
Assists | 148th | +300th | 120th | +300th |
Steals | +300th | 107th | 215th | 118th |
Blocks | +300th | 254th | +300th | 299th |
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 | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 19th | 3rd | 16 | 26,395 vs. 36,928 | 10,533 |
Rebounds | 82nd | 7th | 75 | 8,007 vs. 14,968 | 6,961 |
Assists | 40th | 63rd | 23 | 6,114 vs. 5,248 | 866 |
Steals | +300th | 12th | +288 | 476 vs. 2,085 | 1,609 |
Blocks | +300th | 74th | +226 | 117 vs. 1,145 | 1,028 |
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 14th | +286 | 610 vs. 3,562 | 2,952 |
Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 1,389 vs. 11,406 | 10,017 |
Field Goals Made | 13th | 3rd | 10 | 10,513 vs. 13,528 | 3,015 |
Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 3rd | 4 | 23,930 vs. 26,210 | 2,280 |
3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 85 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 310 | ||
Free Throws Made | 32nd | 1st | 31 | 5,369 vs. 9,787 | 4,418 |
Free Throws Attempted | 36th | 1st | 35 | 6,589 vs. 13,188 | 6,599 |
Games and Years: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 32nd | 7th | 25 | 1,270 vs. 1,476 | 206 |
Seasons | 87th | 12th | 75 | 16 vs. 19 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 18th | 134th | 116 | 31 vs. 4 | 27 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 88th | 29th | 59 | 12 vs. 44 | 32 |
50+ point games | - | 29th | 0 vs. 4 | 4 | |
60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 15th | 8th | 7 | 3,776 vs. 4,761 | 985 |
Rebounds | 37th | 7th | 30 | 1,186 vs. 2,062 | 876 |
Assists | 28th | 45th | 17 | 825 vs. 610 | 215 |
Steals | 253rd | 17th | 236 | 60 vs. 258 | 198 |
Blocks | +300th | 50th | +250 | 16 vs. 135 | 119 |
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 10th | +290 | 79 vs. 502 | 423 |
Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 4th | +296 | 199 vs. 1,560 | 1,361 |
Field Goals Made | 13th | 7th | 6 | 1,451 vs. 1,743 | 292 |
Field Goals Attempted | 11th | 6th | 5 | 3,329 vs. 3,768 | 439 |
3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 6 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 37 | ||
Free Throws Made | 15th | 4th | 11 | 874 vs. 1,269 | 395 |
Free Throws Attempted | 19th | 5th | 14 | 1,046 vs. 1,725 | 679 |
Games and Years: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 24th | 12th | 12 | 172 vs. 193 | 21 |
Playoffs | 45th | 1st | 44 | 13 vs. 19 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 12th | +300th | 5 vs. 0 | 5 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 36th | 8 | 5 vs. 4 | 1 |
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 | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 56th | 15th | 41 | 20.78 vs. 25.02 | 4.24 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 51st | +249 | 6.30 vs. 10.14 | 3.84 |
Assists per game | 148th | +300th | +152 | 4.81 vs. 3.56 | 1.26 |
Steals per game | +300th | 107th | +193 | 1.21 vs. 1.41 | 0.21 |
Blocks per game | +300th | 254th | +46 | 0.30 vs. 0.78 | 0.48 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 111st | +189 | 1.54 vs. 2.41 | 0.87 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 3.52 vs. 7.73 | 4.21 |
Field Goals Made per game | 42nd | 16th | 26 | 8.28 vs. 9.17 | 0.89 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 20th | 36th | 16 | 18.84 vs. 17.76 | 1.09 |
3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.06 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.21 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 105th | 14th | 91 | 4.23 vs. 6.63 | 2.40 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 121st | 6th | 115 | 5.19 vs. 8.93 | 3.75 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | John Havlicek | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 57th | 33rd | 24 | 21.95 vs. 24.67 | 2.71 |
Rebounds per game | 232nd | 38th | 194 | 6.90 vs. 10.68 | 3.79 |
Assists per game | 120th | +300th | +180 | 4.80 vs. 3.16 | 1.64 |
Steals per game | 215th | 118th | 97 | 1.13 vs. 1.34 | 0.20 |
Blocks per game | +300th | 299th | +1 | 0.30 vs. 0.70 | 0.40 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 98th | +202 | 1.49 vs. 2.60 | 1.11 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 18th | +282 | 3.75 vs. 8.08 | 4.33 |
Field Goals Made per game | 48th | 33rd | 15 | 8.44 vs. 9.03 | 0.60 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 40th | 37th | 3 | 19.35 vs. 19.52 | 0.17 |
3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.19 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 75th | 17th | 58 | 5.08 vs. 6.58 | 1.49 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 98th | 14th | 84 | 6.08 vs. 8.94 | 2.86 |
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.