Karl Malone vs. Oscar Robertson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Karl Malone and Oscar Robertson 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 Oscar Robertson, with 14 seasons played from 1961 to 1974, 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. Oscar Robertson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | |
Points | 3rd | 15th | 8th | 76th |
Rebounds | 7th | 85th | 7th | 156th |
Assists | 63rd | 9th | 45th | 31st |
Steals | 12th | +300th | 17th | +300th |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | 50th | +300th |
Years | 19 | 14 | 19 | 10 |
Karl Malone vs. Oscar Robertson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | |
Points | 15th | 12th | 33rd | 54th |
Rebounds | 51st | 190th | 38th | 246th |
Assists | +300th | 4th | +300th | 5th |
Steals | 107th | +300th | 118th | +300th |
Blocks | 254th | +300th | 299th | +300th |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
* Some years in Oscar Robertson's career don't have data for these stats.
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 | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 3rd | 15th | 12 | 36,928 vs. 26,710 | 10,218 |
Rebounds | 7th | 85th | 78 | 14,968 vs. 7,804 | 7,164 |
Assists | 63rd | 9th | 54 | 5,248 vs. 9,887 | 4,639 |
Steals | 12th | +300th | +288 | 2,085 vs. 77 | 2,008 |
Blocks | 74th | +300th | +226 | 1,145 vs. 4 | 1,141 |
Offensive Rebounds | 14th | +300th | +286 | 3,562 vs. 71 | 3,491 |
Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | +300th | +298 | 11,406 vs. 208 | 11,198 |
Field Goals Made | 3rd | 20th | 17 | 13,528 vs. 9,508 | 4,020 |
Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | 21st | 18 | 26,210 vs. 19,620 | 6,590 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 85 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 310 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 1st | 6th | 5 | 9,787 vs. 7,694 | 2,093 |
Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 10th | 9 | 13,188 vs. 9,185 | 4,003 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 7th | 129th | 122 | 1,476 vs. 1,040 | 436 |
Seasons | 12th | 190th | 178 | 19 vs. 14 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 134th | 2nd | 132 | 4 vs. 181 | 177 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 29th | 8th | 21 | 44 vs. 77 | 33 |
50+ point games | 29th | 49th | 20 | 4 vs. 2 | 2 |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 8th | 76th | 68 | 4,761 vs. 1,910 | 2,851 |
Rebounds | 7th | 156th | 149 | 2,062 vs. 578 | 1,484 |
Assists | 45th | 31st | 14 | 610 vs. 769 | 159 |
Steals | 17th | +300th | +283 | 258 vs. 15 | 243 |
Blocks | 50th | +300th | +250 | 135 vs. 4 | 131 |
Offensive Rebounds | 10th | +300th | +290 | 502 vs. 15 | 487 |
Defensive Rebounds | 4th | +300th | +296 | 1,560 vs. 39 | 1,521 |
Field Goals Made | 7th | 89th | 82 | 1,743 vs. 675 | 1,068 |
Field Goals Attempted | 6th | 92nd | 86 | 3,768 vs. 1,466 | 2,302 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 6 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 37 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 4th | 47th | 43 | 1,269 vs. 560 | 709 |
Free Throws Attempted | 5th | 54th | 49 | 1,725 vs. 655 | 1,070 |
Games and Years: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 12th | 245th | 233 | 193 vs. 86 | 107 |
Playoffs | 1st | 154th | 153 | 19 vs. 10 | 9 |
Triple-Doubles: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | +300th | 11th | 0 vs. 8 | 8 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 36th | 37th | 1 | 4 vs. 4 | 0 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 15th | 12th | 3 | 25.02 vs. 25.68 | 0.66 |
Rebounds per game | 51st | 190th | 139 | 10.14 vs. 7.50 | 2.64 |
Assists per game | +300th | 4th | +296 | 3.56 vs. 9.51 | 5.95 |
Steals per game | 107th | +300th | +193 | 1.41 vs. 1.10 | 0.31 |
Blocks per game | 254th | +300th | +46 | 0.78 vs. 0.06 | 0.72 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 111st | +300th | +189 | 2.41 vs. 1.01 | 1.40 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 20th | +300th | +280 | 7.73 vs. 2.97 | 4.76 |
Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 17th | 1 | 9.17 vs. 9.14 | 0.02 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 36th | 19th | 17 | 17.76 vs. 18.87 | 1.11 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.06 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.21 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 14th | 4th | 10 | 6.63 vs. 7.40 | 0.77 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 9th | 3 | 8.93 vs. 8.83 | 0.10 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Karl Malone | Oscar Robertson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 33rd | 54th | 21 | 24.67 vs. 22.21 | 2.46 |
Rebounds per game | 38th | 246th | 208 | 10.68 vs. 6.72 | 3.96 |
Assists per game | +300th | 5th | +295 | 3.16 vs. 8.94 | 5.78 |
Steals per game | 118th | +300th | +182 | 1.34 vs. 0.94 | 0.40 |
Blocks per game | 299th | +300th | +1 | 0.70 vs. 0.25 | 0.45 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 98th | +300th | +202 | 2.60 vs. 0.94 | 1.66 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 18th | +300th | +282 | 8.08 vs. 2.44 | 5.65 |
Field Goals Made per game | 33rd | 73rd | 40 | 9.03 vs. 7.85 | 1.18 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 37th | 78th | 41 | 19.52 vs. 17.05 | 2.48 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.03 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.19 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 17th | 20th | 3 | 6.58 vs. 6.51 | 0.06 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 14th | 33rd | 19 | 8.94 vs. 7.62 | 1.32 |
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.