Karl Malone vs. Karl-Anthony Towns: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Karl-Anthony Towns 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 Karl-Anthony Towns, with 11 seasons played from 2016 to 2026, 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. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 3rd | 160th | 8th | 250th |
| Rebounds | 7th | 111st | 7th | 181st |
| Assists | 63rd | +300th | 45th | +300th |
| Steals | 12th | +300th | 17th | +300th |
| Blocks | 74th | 163rd | 50th | 272nd |
| Years | 19 | 11 | 19 | 5 |
Karl Malone vs. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 15th | 34th | 33rd | 97th |
| Rebounds | 51st | 28th | 38th | 37th |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | 107th | +300th | 118th | +300th |
| Blocks | 255th | 126th | 299th | 288th |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 160th | 157 | 36,928 vs. 14,925 | 22,003 |
| Rebounds | 7th | 111st | 104 | 14,968 vs. 7,160 | 7,808 |
| Assists | 63rd | +300th | +237 | 5,248 vs. 2,042 | 3,206 |
| Steals | 12th | +300th | +288 | 2,085 vs. 524 | 1,561 |
| Blocks | 74th | 163rd | 89 | 1,145 vs. 772 | 373 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 14th | 144th | 130 | 3,562 vs. 1,809 | 1,753 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 72nd | 70 | 11,406 vs. 5,351 | 6,055 |
| Field Goals Made | 3rd | 177th | 174 | 13,528 vs. 5,471 | 8,057 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | 258th | 255 | 26,210 vs. 10,452 | 15,758 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 128th | +172 | 85 vs. 1,122 | 1,037 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 160th | +140 | 310 vs. 2,800 | 2,490 |
| Free Throws Made | 1st | 195th | 194 | 9,787 vs. 2,861 | 6,926 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 240th | 239 | 13,188 vs. 3,416 | 9,772 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 7th | +300th | 1,476 vs. 647 | 829 | |
| Seasons | 12th | +300th | 19 vs. 11 | 8 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 134th | 160th | 26 | 4 vs. 3 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 29th | 64th | 35 | 44 vs. 18 | 26 |
| 50+ point games | 29th | 40th | 11 | 4 vs. 3 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 7th | 4 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 8th | 250th | 242 | 4,761 vs. 989 | 3,772 |
| Rebounds | 7th | 181st | 174 | 2,062 vs. 536 | 1,526 |
| Assists | 45th | +300th | +255 | 610 vs. 100 | 510 |
| Steals | 17th | +300th | +283 | 258 vs. 34 | 224 |
| Blocks | 50th | 272nd | 222 | 135 vs. 36 | 99 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 10th | 242nd | 232 | 502 vs. 105 | 397 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 4th | 116th | 112 | 1,560 vs. 431 | 1,129 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 272nd | 265 | 1,743 vs. 346 | 1,397 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 6th | 293rd | 287 | 3,768 vs. 727 | 3,041 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 173rd | +127 | 6 vs. 75 | 69 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 177th | +123 | 37 vs. 214 | 177 |
| Free Throws Made | 4th | 219th | 215 | 1,269 vs. 222 | 1,047 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 5th | 243rd | 238 | 1,725 vs. 267 | 1,458 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 12th | +300th | 193 vs. 50 | 143 | |
| Playoffs | 1st | +300th | 19 vs. 5 | 14 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 36th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 15th | 34th | 19 | 25.02 vs. 23.07 | 1.95 |
| Rebounds per game | 51st | 28th | 23 | 10.14 vs. 11.07 | 0.93 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.56 vs. 3.16 | 0.40 | |
| Steals per game | 107th | +300th | +193 | 1.41 vs. 0.81 | 0.60 |
| Blocks per game | 255th | 126th | 129 | 0.78 vs. 1.19 | 0.42 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 112nd | 52nd | 60 | 2.41 vs. 2.80 | 0.38 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 20th | 8th | 12 | 7.73 vs. 8.27 | 0.54 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 35th | 19 | 9.17 vs. 8.46 | 0.71 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 36th | 71st | 35 | 17.76 vs. 16.15 | 1.60 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 107th | +193 | 0.06 vs. 1.73 | 1.68 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 98th | +202 | 0.21 vs. 4.33 | 4.12 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 14th | 87th | 73 | 6.63 vs. 4.42 | 2.21 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 114th | 108 | 8.93 vs. 5.28 | 3.66 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 33rd | 97th | 64 | 24.67 vs. 19.78 | 4.89 |
| Rebounds per game | 38th | 37th | 1 | 10.68 vs. 10.72 | 0.04 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.16 vs. 2.00 | 1.16 | |
| Steals per game | 118th | +300th | +182 | 1.34 vs. 0.68 | 0.66 |
| Blocks per game | 299th | 288th | 11 | 0.70 vs. 0.72 | 0.02 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 98th | 198th | 100 | 2.60 vs. 2.10 | 0.50 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 18th | 10th | 8 | 8.08 vs. 8.62 | 0.54 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 33rd | 133rd | 100 | 9.03 vs. 6.92 | 2.11 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 37th | 162nd | 125 | 19.52 vs. 14.54 | 4.98 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 155th | +145 | 0.03 vs. 1.50 | 1.47 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 140th | +160 | 0.19 vs. 4.28 | 4.09 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 17th | 113rd | 96 | 6.58 vs. 4.44 | 2.14 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 14th | 144th | 130 | 8.94 vs. 5.34 | 3.60 |
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.