Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Joel Embiid: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joel Embiid 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 Joel Embiid, with 10 seasons played from 2017 to 2026, 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. Joel Embiid | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | |
| Points | 2nd | 245th | 3rd | 136th |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 279th | 6th | 131st |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | 32nd | 293rd |
| Steals | 112nd | +300th | 36th | +300th |
| Blocks | 3rd | 169th | 2nd | 77th |
| Years | 20 | 10 | 18 | 7 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Joel Embiid | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | |
| Points | 21st | 4th | 36th | 31st |
| Rebounds | 25th | 31st | 45th | 34th |
| Assists | 297th | 294th | 296th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Blocks | 8th | 55th | 9th | 36th |
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 | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 245th | 243 | 38,387 vs. 12,748 | 25,639 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 279th | 276 | 17,440 vs. 5,060 | 12,380 |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | +250 | 5,660 vs. 1,689 | 3,971 |
| Steals | 112nd | +300th | +188 | 1,160 vs. 420 | 740 |
| Blocks | 3rd | 169th | 166 | 3,189 vs. 752 | 2,437 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 2,975 vs. 1,028 | 1,947 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 10th | 160th | 150 | 9,394 vs. 4,032 | 5,362 |
| Field Goals Made | 1st | +300th | +299 | 15,837 vs. 4,192 | 11,645 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | +300th | +298 | 28,307 vs. 8,390 | 19,917 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 1 vs. 544 | 543 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 18 vs. 1,621 | 1,603 | |
| Free Throws Made | 13th | 90th | 77 | 6,712 vs. 3,820 | 2,892 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 107th | 98 | 9,304 vs. 4,615 | 4,689 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | +300th | 1,560 vs. 463 | 1,097 | |
| Seasons | 8th | +300th | 20 vs. 10 | 10 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 24th | 75th | 51 | 21 vs. 8 | 13 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 11th | 23rd | 12 | 70 vs. 48 | 22 |
| 50+ point games | 11th | 14th | 3 | 10 vs. 8 | 2 |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | 2nd | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 136th | 133 | 5,762 vs. 1,469 | 4,293 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 131st | 125 | 2,481 vs. 641 | 1,840 |
| Assists | 32nd | 293rd | 261 | 767 vs. 182 | 585 |
| Steals | 36th | +300th | +264 | 189 vs. 49 | 140 |
| Blocks | 2nd | 77th | 75 | 476 vs. 102 | 374 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 193rd | 184 | 505 vs. 127 | 378 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 84th | 78 | 1,273 vs. 514 | 759 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 180th | 178 | 2,356 vs. 466 | 1,890 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 184th | 180 | 4,422 vs. 1,015 | 3,407 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 209th | +91 | 0 vs. 65 | 65 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 166th | +134 | 4 vs. 225 | 221 |
| Free Throws Made | 12th | 63rd | 51 | 1,050 vs. 472 | 578 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 67th | 57 | 1,419 vs. 570 | 849 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 5th | +300th | 237 vs. 59 | 178 | |
| Playoffs | 3rd | +300th | 18 vs. 7 | 11 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 38th | 39th | 1 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 12th | 55th | 43 | 9 vs. 2 | 7 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 21st | 4th | 17 | 24.61 vs. 27.53 | 2.93 |
| Rebounds per game | 25th | 31st | 6 | 11.18 vs. 10.93 | 0.25 |
| Assists per game | 297th | 294th | 3 | 3.63 vs. 3.65 | 0.02 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.94 vs. 0.91 | 0.03 | |
| Blocks per game | 8th | 55th | 47 | 2.57 vs. 1.62 | 0.95 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 115th | 159th | 44 | 2.40 vs. 2.22 | 0.18 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 26th | 2nd | 24 | 7.58 vs. 8.71 | 1.13 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 5th | 19th | 14 | 10.15 vs. 9.05 | 1.10 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 29th | 30th | 1 | 18.15 vs. 18.12 | 0.02 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 1.17 | 1.17 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 204th | +96 | 0.02 vs. 3.50 | 3.48 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 1st | 99 | 4.30 vs. 8.25 | 3.95 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 3rd | 73 | 5.96 vs. 9.97 | 4.00 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Joel Embiid | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 31st | 5 | 24.31 vs. 24.90 | 0.59 |
| Rebounds per game | 45th | 34th | 11 | 10.47 vs. 10.86 | 0.40 |
| Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.24 vs. 3.08 | 0.15 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 0.83 | 0.13 | |
| Blocks per game | 9th | 36th | 27 | 2.43 vs. 1.73 | 0.70 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | 186th | 85 | 2.58 vs. 2.15 | 0.42 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | 9th | 57 | 6.49 vs. 8.71 | 2.22 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 69th | 55 | 9.94 vs. 7.90 | 2.04 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | 74th | 24 | 18.66 vs. 17.20 | 1.45 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 279th | +21 | 0.00 vs. 1.10 | 1.10 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 182nd | +118 | 0.03 vs. 3.81 | 3.79 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 5th | 111 | 4.43 vs. 8.00 | 3.57 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 10th | 94 | 5.99 vs. 9.66 | 3.67 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 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 a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.