Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Shawn Kemp: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shawn Kemp 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 Shawn Kemp, with 14 seasons played from 1990 to 2003, 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. Shawn Kemp | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | |
Points | 2nd | 153rd | 3rd | 127th |
Rebounds | 3rd | 60th | 6th | 74th |
Assists | 50th | +300th | 32nd | +300th |
Steals | 112nd | 103rd | 36th | 118th |
Blocks | 3rd | 56th | 2nd | 48th |
Years | 20 | 14 | 18 | 10 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Shawn Kemp | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | |
Points | 20th | +300th | 36th | 169th |
Rebounds | 25th | 123rd | 45th | 72nd |
Assists | 296th | +300th | 296th | +300th |
Steals | +300th | 251st | +300th | 215th |
Blocks | 8th | 124th | 9th | 60th |
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 | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 2nd | 153rd | 151 | 38,387 vs. 15,347 | 23,040 |
Rebounds | 3rd | 60th | 57 | 17,440 vs. 8,834 | 8,606 |
Assists | 50th | +300th | +250 | 5,660 vs. 1,704 | 3,956 |
Steals | 112nd | 103rd | 9 | 1,160 vs. 1,185 | 25 |
Blocks | 3rd | 56th | 53 | 3,189 vs. 1,279 | 1,910 |
Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | 30th | 2 | 2,975 vs. 3,026 | 51 |
Defensive Rebounds | 10th | 55th | 45 | 9,394 vs. 5,808 | 3,586 |
Field Goals Made | 1st | 173rd | 172 | 15,837 vs. 5,505 | 10,332 |
Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 198th | 196 | 28,307 vs. 11,278 | 17,029 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 1 vs. 33 | 32 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 18 vs. 119 | 101 | |
Free Throws Made | 13th | 68th | 55 | 6,712 vs. 4,304 | 2,408 |
Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 51st | 42 | 9,304 vs. 5,805 | 3,499 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 3rd | 121st | 118 | 1,560 vs. 1,051 | 509 |
Seasons | 7th | 190th | 183 | 20 vs. 14 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 24th | 275th | 251 | 21 vs. 1 | 20 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 11th | +300th | 70 vs. 1 | 69 | |
50+ point games | 11th | - | 10 vs. 0 | 10 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 3rd | 127th | 124 | 5,762 vs. 1,522 | 4,240 |
Rebounds | 6th | 74th | 68 | 2,481 vs. 853 | 1,628 |
Assists | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 767 vs. 161 | 606 |
Steals | 36th | 118th | 82 | 189 vs. 99 | 90 |
Blocks | 2nd | 48th | 46 | 476 vs. 137 | 339 |
Offensive Rebounds | 9th | 33rd | 24 | 505 vs. 314 | 191 |
Defensive Rebounds | 6th | 77th | 71 | 1,273 vs. 539 | 734 |
Field Goals Made | 2nd | 156th | 154 | 2,356 vs. 514 | 1,842 |
Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 177th | 173 | 4,422 vs. 1,032 | 3,390 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 4 vs. 15 | 11 | |
Free Throws Made | 12th | 57th | 45 | 1,050 vs. 491 | 559 |
Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 60th | 50 | 1,419 vs. 616 | 803 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 5th | 228th | 223 | 237 vs. 88 | 149 |
Playoffs | 3rd | 154th | 151 | 18 vs. 10 | 8 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 38th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | 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 | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 20th | +300th | +280 | 24.61 vs. 14.60 | 10.00 |
Rebounds per game | 25th | 123rd | 98 | 11.18 vs. 8.41 | 2.77 |
Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.63 vs. 1.62 | 2.01 |
Steals per game | +300th | 251st | +49 | 0.94 vs. 1.13 | 0.19 |
Blocks per game | 8th | 124th | 116 | 2.57 vs. 1.22 | 1.36 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 114th | 44th | 70 | 2.40 vs. 2.88 | 0.48 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 108th | 81 | 7.58 vs. 5.53 | 2.06 |
Field Goals Made per game | 5th | +300th | +295 | 10.15 vs. 5.24 | 4.91 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 29th | +300th | +271 | 18.15 vs. 10.73 | 7.41 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | 0.03 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.11 | 0.09 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 117th | 17 | 4.30 vs. 4.10 | 0.21 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 96th | 20 | 5.96 vs. 5.52 | 0.44 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Shawn Kemp | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 36th | 169th | 133 | 24.31 vs. 17.30 | 7.02 |
Rebounds per game | 45th | 72nd | 27 | 10.47 vs. 9.69 | 0.78 |
Assists per game | 296th | +300th | +4 | 3.24 vs. 1.83 | 1.41 |
Steals per game | +300th | 215th | +85 | 0.96 vs. 1.13 | 0.16 |
Blocks per game | 9th | 60th | 51 | 2.43 vs. 1.56 | 0.87 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | 16th | 85 | 2.58 vs. 3.57 | 0.99 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | 85th | 19 | 6.49 vs. 6.13 | 0.37 |
Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 231st | 217 | 9.94 vs. 5.84 | 4.10 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | +300th | +250 | 18.66 vs. 11.73 | 6.93 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | 0.03 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.03 vs. 0.17 | 0.15 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 51st | 65 | 4.43 vs. 5.58 | 1.15 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 52nd | 52 | 5.99 vs. 7.00 | 1.01 |
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.