Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Wilt Chamberlain: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain 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 Wilt Chamberlain 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 Wilt Chamberlain, with 14 seasons played from 1960 to 1973, 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. Wilt Chamberlain | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Points | 2nd | 7th | 3rd | 21st |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 2nd |
| Assists | 50th | 86th | 32nd | 38th |
| Steals | 112nd | n/a | 36th | n/a |
| Blocks | 3rd | n/a | 2nd | n/a |
| Years | 20 | 14 | 18 | 13 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Wilt Chamberlain | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Points | 20th | 2nd | 36th | 50th |
| Rebounds | 25th | 1st | 45th | 2nd |
| Assists | 296th | 180th | 296th | 164th |
| Steals | +300th | n/a | +300th | n/a |
| Blocks | 8th | n/a | 9th | n/a |
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.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
* Some years in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career don't have data for steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds and 3-pointers.
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 | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 38,387 vs. 31,419 | 6,968 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 1st | 2 | 17,440 vs. 23,924 | 6,484 |
| Assists | 50th | 86th | 36 | 5,660 vs. 4,643 | 1,017 |
| Steals | 112nd | n/a | 1,160 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 3rd | n/a | 3,189 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 32nd | n/a | 2,975 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 10th | n/a | 9,394 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 1st | 4th | 3 | 15,837 vs. 12,681 | 3,156 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 28,307 vs. 23,497 | 4,810 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 1 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 18 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 13th | 21st | 8 | 6,712 vs. 6,057 | 655 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 9th | 2nd | 7 | 9,304 vs. 11,862 | 2,558 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 124th | 121 | 1,560 vs. 1,045 | 515 |
| Seasons | 8th | 194th | 186 | 20 vs. 14 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 24th | 9th | 15 | 21 vs. 78 | 57 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 11th | 1st | 10 | 70 vs. 271 | 201 |
| 50+ point games | 11th | 1st | 10 | 10 vs. 118 | 108 |
| 60+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 32 | 32 | |
| 70+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 6 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 21st | 18 | 5,762 vs. 3,607 | 2,155 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 2nd | 4 | 2,481 vs. 3,913 | 1,432 |
| Assists | 32nd | 38th | 6 | 767 vs. 673 | 94 |
| Steals | 36th | n/a | 189 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 2nd | n/a | 476 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 9th | n/a | 505 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 6th | n/a | 1,273 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 15th | 13 | 2,356 vs. 1,425 | 931 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 19th | 15 | 4,422 vs. 2,728 | 1,694 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 4 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 12th | 23rd | 11 | 1,050 vs. 757 | 293 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 10th | 6th | 4 | 1,419 vs. 1,627 | 208 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 5th | 38th | 33 | 237 vs. 160 | 77 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 45th | 42 | 18 vs. 13 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 38th | 10th | 28 | 1 vs. 9 | 8 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 12th | 6th | 6 | 9 vs. 13 | 4 |
| 50+ point games | - | 2nd | 0 vs. 4 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 20th | 2nd | 18 | 24.61 vs. 30.07 | 5.46 |
| Rebounds per game | 25th | 1st | 24 | 11.18 vs. 22.89 | 11.71 |
| Assists per game | 296th | 180th | 116 | 3.63 vs. 4.44 | 0.81 |
| Steals per game | +300th | n/a | 0.94 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 8th | n/a | 2.57 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 115th | n/a | 2.40 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | n/a | 7.58 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 5th | 1st | 4 | 10.15 vs. 12.13 | 1.98 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 28th | 3rd | 25 | 18.15 vs. 22.49 | 4.34 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.02 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 100th | 26th | 74 | 4.30 vs. 5.80 | 1.49 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 76th | 1st | 75 | 5.96 vs. 11.35 | 5.39 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 50th | 14 | 24.31 vs. 22.54 | 1.77 |
| Rebounds per game | 45th | 2nd | 43 | 10.47 vs. 24.46 | 13.99 |
| Assists per game | 296th | 164th | 132 | 3.24 vs. 4.21 | 0.97 |
| Steals per game | +300th | n/a | 0.96 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 9th | n/a | 2.43 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 101st | n/a | 2.58 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 66th | n/a | 6.49 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 14th | 36th | 22 | 9.94 vs. 8.91 | 1.03 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 50th | 78th | 28 | 18.66 vs. 17.05 | 1.61 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.03 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 116th | 95th | 21 | 4.43 vs. 4.73 | 0.30 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 104th | 6th | 98 | 5.99 vs. 10.17 | 4.18 |
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.