Karl Malone vs. Chris Paul: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Chris Paul 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 Karl Malone, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1986 to 2004, and Chris Paul, with 20 seasons played from 2006 to 2025, 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.
Karl Malone vs. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | |
Points | 3rd | 36th | 8th | 31st |
Rebounds | 7th | 196th | 7th | 99th |
Assists | 63rd | 2nd | 45th | 5th |
Steals | 12th | 2nd | 17th | 11th |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | 50th | +300th |
Years | 19 | 20 | 19 | 15 |
Karl Malone vs. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | |
Points | 15th | 182nd | 33rd | 94th |
Rebounds | 51st | +300th | 38th | +300th |
Assists | +300th | 6th | +300th | 14th |
Steals | 107th | 11th | 118th | 14th |
Blocks | 254th | +300th | 299th | +300th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 3rd | 36th | 33 | 36,928 vs. 23,011 | 13,917 |
Rebounds | 7th | 196th | 189 | 14,968 vs. 5,978 | 8,990 |
Assists | 63rd | 2nd | 61 | 5,248 vs. 12,499 | 7,251 |
Steals | 12th | 2nd | 10 | 2,085 vs. 2,717 | 632 |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | +226 | 1,145 vs. 222 | 923 |
Offensive Rebounds | 14th | +300th | +286 | 3,562 vs. 792 | 2,770 |
Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 80th | 78 | 11,406 vs. 5,186 | 6,220 |
Field Goals Made | 3rd | 41st | 38 | 13,528 vs. 8,147 | 5,381 |
Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | 38th | 35 | 26,210 vs. 17,352 | 8,858 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 26th | +274 | 85 vs. 1,860 | 1,775 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 24th | +276 | 310 vs. 5,029 | 4,719 |
Free Throws Made | 1st | 44th | 43 | 9,787 vs. 4,857 | 4,930 |
Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 67th | 66 | 13,188 vs. 5,579 | 7,609 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 7th | 15th | 8 | 1,476 vs. 1,354 | 122 |
Seasons | 12th | 7th | 5 | 19 vs. 20 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 134th | 34th | 100 | 4 vs. 18 | 14 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 29th | 121st | 92 | 44 vs. 8 | 36 |
50+ point games | 29th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 8th | 31st | 23 | 4,761 vs. 2,981 | 1,780 |
Rebounds | 7th | 99th | 92 | 2,062 vs. 730 | 1,332 |
Assists | 45th | 5th | 40 | 610 vs. 1,233 | 623 |
Steals | 17th | 11th | 6 | 258 vs. 287 | 29 |
Blocks | 50th | +300th | +250 | 135 vs. 31 | 104 |
Offensive Rebounds | 10th | 241st | 231 | 502 vs. 106 | 396 |
Defensive Rebounds | 4th | 60th | 56 | 1,560 vs. 624 | 936 |
Field Goals Made | 7th | 30th | 23 | 1,743 vs. 1,106 | 637 |
Field Goals Attempted | 6th | 32nd | 26 | 3,768 vs. 2,287 | 1,481 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 21st | +279 | 6 vs. 244 | 238 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 22nd | +278 | 37 vs. 654 | 617 |
Free Throws Made | 4th | 53rd | 49 | 1,269 vs. 525 | 744 |
Free Throws Attempted | 5th | 61st | 56 | 1,725 vs. 615 | 1,110 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 12th | 48th | 36 | 193 vs. 149 | 44 |
Playoffs | 1st | 17th | 16 | 19 vs. 15 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | +300th | 20th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 36th | 55th | 19 | 4 vs. 2 | 2 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 15th | 182nd | 167 | 25.02 vs. 16.99 | 8.02 |
Rebounds per game | 51st | +300th | +249 | 10.14 vs. 4.42 | 5.73 |
Assists per game | +300th | 6th | +294 | 3.56 vs. 9.23 | 5.68 |
Steals per game | 107th | 11th | 96 | 1.41 vs. 2.01 | 0.59 |
Blocks per game | 254th | +300th | +46 | 0.78 vs. 0.16 | 0.61 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 111st | +300th | +189 | 2.41 vs. 0.58 | 1.83 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 20th | +300th | +280 | 7.73 vs. 3.83 | 3.90 |
Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 236th | 220 | 9.17 vs. 6.02 | 3.15 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 36th | 253rd | 217 | 17.76 vs. 12.82 | 4.94 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 233rd | +67 | 0.06 vs. 1.37 | 1.32 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 166th | +134 | 0.21 vs. 3.71 | 3.50 |
Free Throws Made per game | 14th | 173rd | 159 | 6.63 vs. 3.59 | 3.04 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 239th | 233 | 8.93 vs. 4.12 | 4.81 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 33rd | 94th | 61 | 24.67 vs. 20.01 | 4.66 |
Rebounds per game | 38th | +300th | +262 | 10.68 vs. 4.90 | 5.78 |
Assists per game | +300th | 14th | +286 | 3.16 vs. 8.28 | 5.11 |
Steals per game | 118th | 14th | 104 | 1.34 vs. 1.93 | 0.59 |
Blocks per game | 299th | +300th | +1 | 0.70 vs. 0.21 | 0.49 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 98th | +300th | +202 | 2.60 vs. 0.71 | 1.89 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 18th | 243rd | 225 | 8.08 vs. 4.19 | 3.89 |
Field Goals Made per game | 33rd | 99th | 66 | 9.03 vs. 7.42 | 1.61 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 37th | 133rd | 96 | 19.52 vs. 15.35 | 4.17 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 120th | +180 | 0.03 vs. 1.64 | 1.61 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 134th | +166 | 0.19 vs. 4.39 | 4.20 |
Free Throws Made per game | 17th | 229th | 212 | 6.58 vs. 3.52 | 3.05 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 14th | 299th | 285 | 8.94 vs. 4.13 | 4.81 |
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.