Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Dwight Howard: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dwight Howard 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 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with a career spanning 20 seasons from 1970 to 1989, and Dwight Howard, with 18 seasons played from 2005 to 2022, 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.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Dwight Howard | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | |
| Points | 2nd | 57th | 3rd | 78th |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 10th | 6th | 19th |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | 32nd | +300th |
| Steals | 112nd | 146th | 36th | 129th |
| Blocks | 3rd | 13th | 2nd | 13th |
| Years | 20 | 18 | 18 | 12 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Dwight Howard | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | |
| Points | 20th | 245th | 36th | 235th |
| Rebounds | 25th | 20th | 45th | 21st |
| Assists | 296th | +300th | 296th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Blocks | 8th | 37th | 9th | 21st |
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.
* Some years in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career don't have data for these stats.
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 57th | 55 | 38,387 vs. 19,485 | 18,902 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 10th | 7 | 17,440 vs. 14,627 | 2,813 |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | +250 | 5,660 vs. 1,676 | 3,984 |
| Steals | 112nd | 146th | 34 | 1,160 vs. 1,081 | 79 |
| Blocks | 3rd | 13th | 10 | 3,189 vs. 2,228 | 961 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | 7th | 25 | 2,975 vs. 4,151 | 1,176 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 10th | 4th | 6 | 9,394 vs. 10,476 | 1,082 |
| Field Goals Made | 1st | 78th | 77 | 15,837 vs. 7,051 | 8,786 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 162nd | 160 | 28,307 vs. 12,016 | 16,291 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 1 vs. 22 | 21 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 18 vs. 103 | 85 | |
| Free Throws Made | 13th | 33rd | 20 | 6,712 vs. 5,361 | 1,351 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 8th | 1 | 9,304 vs. 9,455 | 151 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 37th | 34 | 1,560 vs. 1,242 | 318 |
| Seasons | 8th | 29th | 21 | 20 vs. 18 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 24th | 275th | 251 | 21 vs. 1 | 20 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 11th | 185th | 174 | 70 vs. 4 | 66 |
| 50+ point games | 11th | - | 10 vs. 0 | 10 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 78th | 75 | 5,762 vs. 1,909 | 3,853 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 19th | 13 | 2,481 vs. 1,473 | 1,008 |
| Assists | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 767 vs. 149 | 618 |
| Steals | 36th | 129th | 93 | 189 vs. 94 | 95 |
| Blocks | 2nd | 13th | 11 | 476 vs. 248 | 228 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 16th | 7 | 505 vs. 441 | 64 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 19th | 13 | 1,273 vs. 1,032 | 241 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 87th | 85 | 2,356 vs. 681 | 1,675 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 148th | 144 | 4,422 vs. 1,156 | 3,266 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 4 vs. 7 | 3 | |
| Free Throws Made | 12th | 50th | 38 | 1,050 vs. 546 | 504 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 24th | 14 | 1,419 vs. 997 | 422 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 5th | 95th | 90 | 237 vs. 125 | 112 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 76th | 73 | 18 vs. 12 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 38th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 12th | 55th | 43 | 9 vs. 2 | 7 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 20th | 245th | 225 | 24.61 vs. 15.69 | 8.92 |
| Rebounds per game | 25th | 20th | 5 | 11.18 vs. 11.78 | 0.60 |
| Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.63 vs. 1.35 | 2.28 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.94 vs. 0.87 | 0.07 | |
| Blocks per game | 8th | 37th | 29 | 2.57 vs. 1.79 | 0.78 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 115th | 13th | 102 | 2.40 vs. 3.34 | 0.94 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 3rd | 24 | 7.58 vs. 8.43 | 0.85 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 5th | 286th | 281 | 10.15 vs. 5.68 | 4.47 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 28th | +300th | +272 | 18.15 vs. 9.67 | 8.47 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.02 | 0.02 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.08 | 0.06 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 97th | 3 | 4.30 vs. 4.32 | 0.01 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 26th | 50 | 5.96 vs. 7.61 | 1.65 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Dwight Howard | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 235th | 199 | 24.31 vs. 15.27 | 9.04 |
| Rebounds per game | 45th | 21st | 24 | 10.47 vs. 11.78 | 1.32 |
| Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.24 vs. 1.19 | 2.04 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 0.75 | 0.21 | |
| Blocks per game | 9th | 21st | 12 | 2.43 vs. 1.98 | 0.44 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | 19th | 82 | 2.58 vs. 3.53 | 0.95 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | 17th | 49 | 6.49 vs. 8.26 | 1.76 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 268th | 254 | 9.94 vs. 5.45 | 4.49 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | +300th | +250 | 18.66 vs. 9.25 | 9.41 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.01 | 0.01 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.03 vs. 0.06 | 0.03 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 125th | 9 | 4.43 vs. 4.37 | 0.06 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 29th | 75 | 5.99 vs. 7.98 | 1.99 |
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.