Karl Malone vs. Jayson Tatum: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Jayson Tatum 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 Jayson Tatum, with 8 seasons played from 2018 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. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 3rd | 208th | 8th | 34th |
| Rebounds | 7th | +300th | 7th | 54th |
| Assists | 63rd | +300th | 45th | 51st |
| Steals | 12th | +300th | 17th | 63rd |
| Blocks | 74th | +300th | 50th | 71st |
| Years | 19 | 8 | 19 | 8 |
Karl Malone vs. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 15th | 31st | 33rd | 38th |
| Rebounds | 51st | 205th | 38th | 136th |
| Assists | +300th | 255th | +300th | 112nd |
| Steals | 107th | 279th | 118th | 193rd |
| Blocks | 255th | +300th | 299th | 195th |
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: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 208th | 205 | 36,928 vs. 13,784 | 23,144 |
| Rebounds | 7th | +300th | +293 | 14,968 vs. 4,293 | 10,675 |
| Assists | 63rd | +300th | +237 | 5,248 vs. 2,243 | 3,005 |
| Steals | 12th | +300th | +288 | 2,085 vs. 639 | 1,446 |
| Blocks | 74th | +300th | +226 | 1,145 vs. 384 | 761 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 14th | +300th | +286 | 3,562 vs. 512 | 3,050 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 191st | 189 | 11,406 vs. 3,781 | 7,625 |
| Field Goals Made | 3rd | 259th | 256 | 13,528 vs. 4,789 | 8,739 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | 259th | 256 | 26,210 vs. 10,429 | 15,781 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 48th | +252 | 85 vs. 1,546 | 1,461 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 49th | +251 | 310 vs. 4,181 | 3,871 |
| Free Throws Made | 1st | 228th | 227 | 9,787 vs. 2,660 | 7,127 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 281st | 280 | 13,188 vs. 3,167 | 10,021 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 7th | +300th | 1,476 vs. 585 | 891 | |
| Seasons | 12th | +300th | 19 vs. 8 | 11 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 134th | 134th | 0 | 4 vs. 4 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 29th | 44th | 15 | 44 vs. 29 | 15 |
| 50+ point games | 29th | 23rd | 6 | 4 vs. 5 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 11th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 8th | 34th | 26 | 4,761 vs. 2,936 | 1,825 |
| Rebounds | 7th | 54th | 47 | 2,062 vs. 989 | 1,073 |
| Assists | 45th | 51st | 6 | 610 vs. 592 | 18 |
| Steals | 17th | 63rd | 46 | 258 vs. 143 | 115 |
| Blocks | 50th | 71st | 21 | 135 vs. 106 | 29 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 10th | 208th | 198 | 502 vs. 118 | 384 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 4th | 29th | 25 | 1,560 vs. 871 | 689 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 38th | 31 | 1,743 vs. 983 | 760 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 6th | 33rd | 27 | 3,768 vs. 2,241 | 1,527 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 11th | +289 | 6 vs. 292 | 286 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 9th | +291 | 37 vs. 840 | 803 |
| Free Throws Made | 4th | 35th | 31 | 1,269 vs. 678 | 591 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 5th | 40th | 35 | 1,725 vs. 806 | 919 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 12th | 103rd | 91 | 193 vs. 121 | 72 |
| Playoffs | 1st | +300th | 19 vs. 8 | 11 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 39th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 36th | 28th | 8 | 4 vs. 5 | 1 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | 5th | 4 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 15th | 31st | 16 | 25.02 vs. 23.56 | 1.46 |
| Rebounds per game | 51st | 205th | 154 | 10.14 vs. 7.34 | 2.80 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 255th | +45 | 3.56 vs. 3.83 | 0.28 |
| Steals per game | 107th | 279th | 172 | 1.41 vs. 1.09 | 0.32 |
| Blocks per game | 255th | +300th | +45 | 0.78 vs. 0.66 | 0.12 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 112nd | +300th | +188 | 2.41 vs. 0.88 | 1.54 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 20th | 60th | 40 | 7.73 vs. 6.46 | 1.26 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 45th | 29 | 9.17 vs. 8.19 | 0.98 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 36th | 34th | 2 | 17.76 vs. 17.83 | 0.07 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 0.06 vs. 2.64 | 2.59 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 9th | +291 | 0.21 vs. 7.15 | 6.94 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 14th | 80th | 66 | 6.63 vs. 4.55 | 2.08 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 106th | 100 | 8.93 vs. 5.41 | 3.52 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 33rd | 38th | 5 | 24.67 vs. 24.26 | 0.40 |
| Rebounds per game | 38th | 136th | 98 | 10.68 vs. 8.17 | 2.51 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 112nd | +188 | 3.16 vs. 4.89 | 1.73 |
| Steals per game | 118th | 193rd | 75 | 1.34 vs. 1.18 | 0.15 |
| Blocks per game | 299th | 195th | 104 | 0.70 vs. 0.88 | 0.18 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 98th | +300th | +202 | 2.60 vs. 0.98 | 1.63 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 18th | 37th | 19 | 8.08 vs. 7.20 | 0.88 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 33rd | 61st | 28 | 9.03 vs. 8.12 | 0.91 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 37th | 53rd | 16 | 19.52 vs. 18.52 | 1.00 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 0.03 vs. 2.41 | 2.38 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 0.19 vs. 6.94 | 6.75 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 17th | 48th | 31 | 6.58 vs. 5.60 | 0.97 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 14th | 72nd | 58 | 8.94 vs. 6.66 | 2.28 |
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.