Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Kobe Bryant: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Ever wondered how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant truly stack up against each other? 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 Kobe Bryant, with 20 seasons played from 1997 to 2016, 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. Kobe Bryant | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | |
Points | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | 4th |
Rebounds | 3rd | 117th | 6th | 42nd |
Assists | 50th | 36th | 32nd | 12th |
Steals | 112nd | 17th | 36th | 6th |
Blocks | 3rd | 212nd | 2nd | 42nd |
Years | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Kobe Bryant | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | |
Points | 20th | 16th | 36th | 24th |
Rebounds | 25th | +300th | 45th | +300th |
Assists | 296th | 158th | 296th | 125th |
Steals | +300th | 96th | +300th | 97th |
Blocks | 8th | +300th | 9th | +300th |
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: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 2nd | 4th | 2 | 38,387 vs. 33,643 | 4,744 |
Rebounds | 3rd | 117th | 114 | 17,440 vs. 7,047 | 10,393 |
Assists | 50th | 36th | 14 | 5,660 vs. 6,306 | 646 |
Steals | 112nd | 17th | 95 | 1,160 vs. 1,944 | 784 |
Blocks | 3rd | 212nd | 209 | 3,189 vs. 640 | 2,549 |
Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | 226th | 194 | 2,975 vs. 1,499 | 1,476 |
Defensive Rebounds | 10th | 62nd | 52 | 9,394 vs. 5,548 | 3,846 |
Field Goals Made | 1st | 6th | 5 | 15,837 vs. 11,719 | 4,118 |
Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 4th | 2 | 28,307 vs. 26,200 | 2,107 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 30th | +270 | 1 vs. 1,827 | 1,826 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 18th | +282 | 18 vs. 5,546 | 5,528 |
Free Throws Made | 13th | 4th | 9 | 6,712 vs. 8,378 | 1,666 |
Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 6th | 3 | 9,304 vs. 10,011 | 707 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 3rd | 16th | 13 | 1,560 vs. 1,346 | 214 |
Seasons | 7th | 7th | 0 | 20 vs. 20 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 24th | 24th | 0 | 21 vs. 21 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 11th | 3rd | 8 | 70 vs. 122 | 52 |
50+ point games | 11th | 3rd | 8 | 10 vs. 25 | 15 |
60+ point games | - | 2nd | 0 vs. 6 | 6 | |
70+ point games | - | 2nd | 0 vs. 1 | 1 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 3rd | 4th | 1 | 5,762 vs. 5,640 | 122 |
Rebounds | 6th | 42nd | 36 | 2,481 vs. 1,119 | 1,362 |
Assists | 32nd | 12th | 20 | 767 vs. 1,040 | 273 |
Steals | 36th | 6th | 30 | 189 vs. 310 | 121 |
Blocks | 2nd | 42nd | 40 | 476 vs. 144 | 332 |
Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 68th | 59 | 505 vs. 230 | 275 |
Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 25th | 19 | 1,273 vs. 889 | 384 |
Field Goals Made | 2nd | 5th | 3 | 2,356 vs. 2,014 | 342 |
Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 2nd | 2 | 4,422 vs. 4,499 | 77 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 11th | +289 | 0 vs. 292 | 292 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 8th | +292 | 4 vs. 882 | 878 |
Free Throws Made | 12th | 3rd | 9 | 1,050 vs. 1,320 | 270 |
Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 7th | 3 | 1,419 vs. 1,617 | 198 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 5th | 7th | 2 | 237 vs. 220 | 17 |
Playoffs | 3rd | 17th | 14 | 18 vs. 15 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 38th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 12th | 6th | 6 | 9 vs. 13 | 4 |
50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 20th | 16th | 4 | 24.61 vs. 24.99 | 0.39 |
Rebounds per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 11.18 vs. 5.24 | 5.94 |
Assists per game | 296th | 158th | 138 | 3.63 vs. 4.68 | 1.06 |
Steals per game | +300th | 96th | +204 | 0.94 vs. 1.44 | 0.51 |
Blocks per game | 8th | +300th | +292 | 2.57 vs. 0.48 | 2.10 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 114th | +300th | +186 | 2.40 vs. 1.11 | 1.29 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 274th | 247 | 7.58 vs. 4.12 | 3.46 |
Field Goals Made per game | 5th | 26th | 21 | 10.15 vs. 8.71 | 1.45 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 29th | 16th | 13 | 18.15 vs. 19.47 | 1.32 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 238th | +62 | 0.00 vs. 1.36 | 1.36 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 122nd | +178 | 0.02 vs. 4.12 | 4.10 |
Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 18th | 82 | 4.30 vs. 6.22 | 1.92 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 28th | 48 | 5.96 vs. 7.44 | 1.47 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kobe Bryant | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 36th | 24th | 12 | 24.31 vs. 25.64 | 1.32 |
Rebounds per game | 45th | +300th | +255 | 10.47 vs. 5.09 | 5.38 |
Assists per game | 296th | 125th | 171 | 3.24 vs. 4.73 | 1.49 |
Steals per game | +300th | 97th | +203 | 0.96 vs. 1.41 | 0.44 |
Blocks per game | 9th | +300th | +291 | 2.43 vs. 0.65 | 1.77 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | +300th | +199 | 2.58 vs. 1.05 | 1.53 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | 268th | 202 | 6.49 vs. 4.04 | 2.45 |
Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 30th | 16 | 9.94 vs. 9.15 | 0.79 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | 20th | 30 | 18.66 vs. 20.45 | 1.79 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 197th | +103 | 0.00 vs. 1.33 | 1.33 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 163rd | +137 | 0.03 vs. 4.01 | 3.98 |
Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 34th | 82 | 4.43 vs. 6.00 | 1.57 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 41st | 63 | 5.99 vs. 7.35 | 1.36 |
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.