Karl Malone vs. Isaiah Thomas: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Isaiah Thomas 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 Isaiah Thomas, with 12 seasons played from 2012 to 2024, 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. Isaiah Thomas | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | |
Points | 3rd | +300th | 8th | +300th |
Rebounds | 7th | +300th | 7th | +300th |
Assists | 63rd | +300th | 45th | +300th |
Steals | 12th | +300th | 17th | +300th |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | 50th | +300th |
Years | 19 | 12 | 19 | 4 |
Karl Malone vs. Isaiah Thomas | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | |
Points | 15th | 157th | 33rd | 64th |
Rebounds | 51st | +300th | 38th | +300th |
Assists | +300th | 155th | +300th | 58th |
Steals | 107th | +300th | 118th | +300th |
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 | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 3rd | +300th | +297 | 36,928 vs. 9,723 | 27,205 |
Rebounds | 7th | +300th | +293 | 14,968 vs. 1,321 | 13,647 |
Assists | 63rd | +300th | +237 | 5,248 vs. 2,641 | 2,607 |
Steals | 12th | +300th | +288 | 2,085 vs. 472 | 1,613 |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | +226 | 1,145 vs. 61 | 1,084 |
Offensive Rebounds | 14th | +300th | +286 | 3,562 vs. 284 | 3,278 |
Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | +300th | +298 | 11,406 vs. 1,037 | 10,369 |
Field Goals Made | 3rd | +300th | +297 | 13,528 vs. 3,170 | 10,358 |
Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | +300th | +297 | 26,210 vs. 7,301 | 18,909 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 153rd | +147 | 85 vs. 1,044 | 959 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 154th | +146 | 310 vs. 2,880 | 2,570 |
Free Throws Made | 1st | +300th | +299 | 9,787 vs. 2,339 | 7,448 |
Free Throws Attempted | 1st | +300th | +299 | 13,188 vs. 2,682 | 10,506 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 7th | +300th | 1,476 vs. 556 | 920 | |
Seasons | 12th | +300th | 19 vs. 12 | 7 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 134th | 275th | 141 | 4 vs. 1 | 3 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 29th | 152nd | 123 | 44 vs. 5 | 39 |
50+ point games | 29th | 76th | 47 | 4 vs. 1 | 3 |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 8th | +300th | +292 | 4,761 vs. 564 | 4,197 |
Rebounds | 7th | +300th | +293 | 2,062 vs. 77 | 1,985 |
Assists | 45th | +300th | +255 | 610 vs. 158 | 452 |
Steals | 17th | +300th | +283 | 258 vs. 20 | 238 |
Blocks | 50th | +300th | +250 | 135 vs. 7 | 128 |
Offensive Rebounds | 10th | +300th | +290 | 502 vs. 8 | 494 |
Defensive Rebounds | 4th | +300th | +296 | 1,560 vs. 69 | 1,491 |
Field Goals Made | 7th | +300th | +293 | 1,743 vs. 176 | 1,567 |
Field Goals Attempted | 6th | +300th | +294 | 3,768 vs. 436 | 3,332 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 269th | +31 | 6 vs. 52 | 46 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 230th | +70 | 37 vs. 173 | 136 |
Free Throws Made | 4th | +300th | +296 | 1,269 vs. 160 | 1,109 |
Free Throws Attempted | 5th | +300th | +295 | 1,725 vs. 190 | 1,535 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 12th | +300th | 193 vs. 26 | 167 | |
Playoffs | 1st | +300th | 19 vs. 4 | 15 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 36th | 55th | 19 | 4 vs. 2 | 2 |
50+ point games | 9th | 9th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 15th | 157th | 142 | 25.02 vs. 17.49 | 7.53 |
Rebounds per game | 51st | +300th | +249 | 10.14 vs. 2.38 | 7.77 |
Assists per game | +300th | 155th | +145 | 3.56 vs. 4.75 | 1.19 |
Steals per game | 107th | +300th | +193 | 1.41 vs. 0.85 | 0.56 |
Blocks per game | 254th | +300th | +46 | 0.78 vs. 0.11 | 0.67 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 111st | +300th | +189 | 2.41 vs. 0.51 | 1.90 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 20th | +300th | +280 | 7.73 vs. 1.87 | 5.86 |
Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 277th | 261 | 9.17 vs. 5.70 | 3.46 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 36th | 228th | 192 | 17.76 vs. 13.13 | 4.63 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 81st | +219 | 0.06 vs. 1.88 | 1.82 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 42nd | +258 | 0.21 vs. 5.18 | 4.97 |
Free Throws Made per game | 14th | 108th | 94 | 6.63 vs. 4.21 | 2.42 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 151st | 145 | 8.93 vs. 4.82 | 4.11 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 33rd | 64th | 31 | 24.67 vs. 21.69 | 2.98 |
Rebounds per game | 38th | +300th | +262 | 10.68 vs. 2.96 | 7.72 |
Assists per game | +300th | 58th | +242 | 3.16 vs. 6.08 | 2.92 |
Steals per game | 118th | +300th | +182 | 1.34 vs. 0.77 | 0.57 |
Blocks per game | 299th | +300th | +1 | 0.70 vs. 0.27 | 0.43 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 98th | +300th | +202 | 2.60 vs. 0.31 | 2.29 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 18th | +300th | +282 | 8.08 vs. 2.65 | 5.43 |
Field Goals Made per game | 33rd | 145th | 112 | 9.03 vs. 6.77 | 2.26 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 37th | 84th | 47 | 19.52 vs. 16.77 | 2.75 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 57th | +243 | 0.03 vs. 2.00 | 1.97 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 0.19 vs. 6.65 | 6.46 |
Free Throws Made per game | 17th | 29th | 12 | 6.58 vs. 6.15 | 0.42 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 14th | 43rd | 29 | 8.94 vs. 7.31 | 1.63 |
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.