Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Karl-Anthony Towns: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl-Anthony Towns 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 Karl-Anthony Towns, with 11 seasons played from 2016 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. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 2nd | 160th | 3rd | 250th |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 110th | 6th | 181st |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | 32nd | +300th |
| Steals | 112nd | +300th | 36th | +300th |
| Blocks | 3rd | 163rd | 2nd | 272nd |
| Years | 20 | 11 | 18 | 5 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 20th | 34th | 36th | 97th |
| Rebounds | 25th | 28th | 45th | 37th |
| Assists | 296th | +300th | 296th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Blocks | 8th | 126th | 9th | 288th |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 160th | 158 | 38,387 vs. 14,948 | 23,439 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 110th | 107 | 17,440 vs. 7,190 | 10,250 |
| Assists | 50th | +300th | +250 | 5,660 vs. 2,045 | 3,615 |
| Steals | 112nd | +300th | +188 | 1,160 vs. 526 | 634 |
| Blocks | 3rd | 163rd | 160 | 3,189 vs. 775 | 2,414 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | 142nd | 110 | 2,975 vs. 1,815 | 1,160 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 10th | 71st | 61 | 9,394 vs. 5,375 | 4,019 |
| Field Goals Made | 1st | 177th | 176 | 15,837 vs. 5,479 | 10,358 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 256th | 254 | 28,307 vs. 10,478 | 17,829 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 127th | +173 | 1 vs. 1,124 | 1,123 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 159th | +141 | 18 vs. 2,811 | 2,793 |
| Free Throws Made | 13th | 194th | 181 | 6,712 vs. 2,866 | 3,846 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 240th | 231 | 9,304 vs. 3,422 | 5,882 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | +300th | 1,560 vs. 649 | 911 | |
| Seasons | 8th | +300th | 20 vs. 11 | 9 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 24th | 160th | 136 | 21 vs. 3 | 18 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 11th | 64th | 53 | 70 vs. 18 | 52 |
| 50+ point games | 11th | 40th | 29 | 10 vs. 3 | 7 |
| 60+ point games | - | 7th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 250th | 247 | 5,762 vs. 989 | 4,773 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 181st | 175 | 2,481 vs. 536 | 1,945 |
| Assists | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 767 vs. 100 | 667 |
| Steals | 36th | +300th | +264 | 189 vs. 34 | 155 |
| Blocks | 2nd | 272nd | 270 | 476 vs. 36 | 440 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 242nd | 233 | 505 vs. 105 | 400 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 116th | 110 | 1,273 vs. 431 | 842 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 272nd | 270 | 2,356 vs. 346 | 2,010 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 293rd | 289 | 4,422 vs. 727 | 3,695 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 173rd | +127 | 0 vs. 75 | 75 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 177th | +123 | 4 vs. 214 | 210 |
| Free Throws Made | 12th | 219th | 207 | 1,050 vs. 222 | 828 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 243rd | 233 | 1,419 vs. 267 | 1,152 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 5th | +300th | 237 vs. 50 | 187 | |
| Playoffs | 3rd | +300th | 18 vs. 5 | 13 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 38th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 12th | - | 9 vs. 0 | 9 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 20th | 34th | 14 | 24.61 vs. 23.03 | 1.57 |
| Rebounds per game | 25th | 28th | 3 | 11.18 vs. 11.08 | 0.10 |
| Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.63 vs. 3.15 | 0.48 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.94 vs. 0.81 | 0.13 | |
| Blocks per game | 8th | 126th | 118 | 2.57 vs. 1.19 | 1.38 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 115th | 52nd | 63 | 2.40 vs. 2.80 | 0.40 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 8th | 19 | 7.58 vs. 8.28 | 0.70 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 5th | 35th | 30 | 10.15 vs. 8.44 | 1.71 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 28th | 72nd | 44 | 18.15 vs. 16.14 | 2.00 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 107th | +193 | 0.00 vs. 1.73 | 1.73 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 98th | +202 | 0.02 vs. 4.33 | 4.31 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 87th | 13 | 4.30 vs. 4.42 | 0.11 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 115th | 39 | 5.96 vs. 5.27 | 0.69 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 97th | 61 | 24.31 vs. 19.78 | 4.53 |
| Rebounds per game | 45th | 37th | 8 | 10.47 vs. 10.72 | 0.25 |
| Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.24 vs. 2.00 | 1.24 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 0.68 | 0.28 | |
| Blocks per game | 9th | 288th | 279 | 2.43 vs. 0.72 | 1.71 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | 198th | 97 | 2.58 vs. 2.10 | 0.48 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | 10th | 56 | 6.49 vs. 8.62 | 2.13 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 133rd | 119 | 9.94 vs. 6.92 | 3.02 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | 162nd | 112 | 18.66 vs. 14.54 | 4.12 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 155th | +145 | 0.00 vs. 1.50 | 1.50 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 140th | +160 | 0.03 vs. 4.28 | 4.25 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 113rd | 3 | 4.43 vs. 4.44 | 0.01 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 144th | 40 | 5.99 vs. 5.34 | 0.65 |
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.