Karl Malone vs. Arvydas Sabonis: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Arvydas Sabonis all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Karl Malone, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1986 to 2004, and Arvydas Sabonis, with 7 seasons played from 1996 to 2003, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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.

Karl Malone vs. Arvydas Sabonis
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis
Points
3rd
+300th
8th
+300th
Rebounds
7th
+300th
7th
279th
Assists
63rd
+300th
45th
+300th
Steals
12th
+300th
17th
+300th
Blocks
74th
291st
50th
190th
Years197197

Karl Malone vs. Arvydas Sabonis
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis
Points
15th
+300th
33rd
+300th
Rebounds
51st
209th
38th
188th
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
107th
+300th
118th
+300th
Blocks
255th
155th
299th
169th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
3rd
+300th
+297 36,928 vs. 5,62931,299
Rebounds
7th
+300th
+293 14,968 vs. 3,43611,532
Assists
63rd
+300th
+237 5,248 vs. 9644,284
Steals
12th
+300th
+288 2,085 vs. 3701,715
Blocks
74th
291st
217 1,145 vs. 494651
Offensive Rebounds
14th
+300th
+286 3,562 vs. 7342,828
Defensive Rebounds
2nd
+300th
+298 11,406 vs. 2,7028,704
Field Goals Made
3rd
+300th
+297 13,528 vs. 2,08211,446
Field Goals Attempted
3rd
+300th
+297 26,210 vs. 4,16022,050
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
85 vs. 13651
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
310 vs. 415105
Free Throws Made
1st
+300th
+299 9,787 vs. 1,3298,458
Free Throws Attempted
1st
+300th
+299 13,188 vs. 1,69011,498

Games and Years:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
7th
+300th
1,476 vs. 4701,006
Seasons
12th
+300th
19 vs. 712

Rankings by Points Scored:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
29th
-
44 vs. 044
50+ point games
29th
-
4 vs. 04
60+ point games
11th
-
1 vs. 01
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
8th
+300th
+292 4,761 vs. 6174,144
Rebounds
7th
279th
272 2,062 vs. 3781,684
Assists
45th
+300th
+255 610 vs. 97513
Steals
17th
+300th
+283 258 vs. 48210
Blocks
50th
190th
140 135 vs. 4887
Offensive Rebounds
10th
+300th
+290 502 vs. 72430
Defensive Rebounds
4th
197th
193 1,560 vs. 3061,254
Field Goals Made
7th
+300th
+293 1,743 vs. 2221,521
Field Goals Attempted
6th
+300th
+294 3,768 vs. 4913,277
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
6 vs. 159
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
37 vs. 4710
Free Throws Made
4th
+300th
+296 1,269 vs. 1581,111
Free Throws Attempted
5th
+300th
+295 1,725 vs. 1971,528

Games and Years:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
12th
+300th
193 vs. 51142
Playoffs
1st
+300th
19 vs. 712

Rankings by Points Scored:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
36th
-
4 vs. 04
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
15th
+300th
+285 25.02 vs. 11.9813.04
Rebounds per game
51st
209th
158 10.14 vs. 7.312.83
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
3.56 vs. 2.051.50
Steals per game
107th
+300th
+193 1.41 vs. 0.790.63
Blocks per game
255th
155th
100 0.78 vs. 1.050.28
Offensive Rebounds per game
112nd
+300th
+188 2.41 vs. 1.560.85
Defensive Rebounds per game
20th
94th
74 7.73 vs. 5.751.98
Field Goals Made per game
16th
+300th
+284 9.17 vs. 4.434.74
Field Goals Attempted per game
36th
+300th
+264 17.76 vs. 8.858.91
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.06 vs. 0.290.23
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
0.21 vs. 0.880.67
Free Throws Made per game
14th
+300th
+286 6.63 vs. 2.833.80
Free Throws Attempted per game
6th
+300th
+294 8.93 vs. 3.605.34

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Karl Malone Arvydas Sabonis Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
33rd
+300th
+267 24.67 vs. 12.1012.57
Rebounds per game
38th
188th
150 10.68 vs. 7.413.27
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
3.16 vs. 1.901.26
Steals per game
118th
+300th
+182 1.34 vs. 0.940.40
Blocks per game
299th
169th
130 0.70 vs. 0.940.24
Offensive Rebounds per game
98th
+300th
+202 2.60 vs. 1.411.19
Defensive Rebounds per game
18th
92nd
74 8.08 vs. 6.002.08
Field Goals Made per game
33rd
+300th
+267 9.03 vs. 4.354.68
Field Goals Attempted per game
37th
+300th
+263 19.52 vs. 9.639.90
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.03 vs. 0.290.26
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
0.19 vs. 0.920.73
Free Throws Made per game
17th
+300th
+283 6.58 vs. 3.103.48
Free Throws Attempted per game
14th
+300th
+286 8.94 vs. 3.865.08

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.