Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Kobe Bryant, with a career spanning 20 seasons from 1997 to 2016, and Shaquille O'Neal, with 19 seasons played from 1993 to 2011, 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.
Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | |
Points | 4th | 9th | 4th | 5th |
Rebounds | 117th | 15th | 42nd | 5th |
Assists | 36th | 235th | 12th | 53rd |
Steals | 17th | +300th | 6th | 92nd |
Blocks | 212nd | 8th | 42nd | 4th |
Years | 20 | 19 | 15 | 17 |
Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | |
Points | 16th | 29th | 24th | 36th |
Rebounds | +300th | 32nd | +300th | 23rd |
Assists | 158th | +300th | 125th | +300th |
Steals | 96th | +300th | 97th | +300th |
Blocks | +300th | 15th | +300th | 15th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 4th | 9th | 5 | 33,643 vs. 28,596 | 5,047 |
Rebounds | 117th | 15th | 102 | 7,047 vs. 13,099 | 6,052 |
Assists | 36th | 235th | 199 | 6,306 vs. 3,026 | 3,280 |
Steals | 17th | +300th | +283 | 1,944 vs. 739 | 1,205 |
Blocks | 212nd | 8th | 204 | 640 vs. 2,732 | 2,092 |
Offensive Rebounds | 226th | 6th | 220 | 1,499 vs. 4,209 | 2,710 |
Defensive Rebounds | 62nd | 11th | 51 | 5,548 vs. 8,890 | 3,342 |
Field Goals Made | 6th | 7th | 1 | 11,719 vs. 11,330 | 389 |
Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 23rd | 19 | 26,200 vs. 19,457 | 6,743 |
3-Pointers Made | 30th | +300th | +270 | 1,827 vs. 1 | 1,826 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 18th | +300th | +282 | 5,546 vs. 22 | 5,524 |
Free Throws Made | 4th | 25th | 21 | 8,378 vs. 5,935 | 2,443 |
Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 4th | 2 | 10,011 vs. 11,252 | 1,241 |
Games and Years: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 16th | 47th | 31 | 1,346 vs. 1,207 | 139 |
Seasons | 7th | 12th | 5 | 20 vs. 19 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 24th | 202nd | 178 | 21 vs. 2 | 19 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 3rd | 21st | 18 | 122 vs. 49 | 73 |
50+ point games | 3rd | 40th | 37 | 25 vs. 3 | 22 |
60+ point games | 2nd | 11th | 9 | 6 vs. 1 | 5 |
70+ point games | 2nd | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 4th | 5th | 1 | 5,640 vs. 5,250 | 390 |
Rebounds | 42nd | 5th | 37 | 1,119 vs. 2,508 | 1,389 |
Assists | 12th | 53rd | 41 | 1,040 vs. 582 | 458 |
Steals | 6th | 92nd | 86 | 310 vs. 117 | 193 |
Blocks | 42nd | 4th | 38 | 144 vs. 459 | 315 |
Offensive Rebounds | 68th | 1st | 67 | 230 vs. 866 | 636 |
Defensive Rebounds | 25th | 3rd | 22 | 889 vs. 1,642 | 753 |
Field Goals Made | 5th | 4th | 1 | 2,014 vs. 2,041 | 27 |
Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 4,499 vs. 3,627 | 872 |
3-Pointers Made | 11th | +300th | +289 | 292 vs. 0 | 292 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 8th | +300th | +292 | 882 vs. 0 | 882 |
Free Throws Made | 3rd | 8th | 5 | 1,320 vs. 1,168 | 152 |
Free Throws Attempted | 7th | 2nd | 5 | 1,617 vs. 2,317 | 700 |
Games and Years: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 7th | 9th | 2 | 220 vs. 216 | 4 |
Playoffs | 17th | 6th | 11 | 15 vs. 17 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 6th | 8th | 2 | 13 vs. 12 | 1 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 16th | 29th | 13 | 24.99 vs. 23.69 | 1.30 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 32nd | +268 | 5.24 vs. 10.85 | 5.62 |
Assists per game | 158th | +300th | +142 | 4.68 vs. 2.51 | 2.18 |
Steals per game | 96th | +300th | +204 | 1.44 vs. 0.61 | 0.83 |
Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.48 vs. 2.26 | 1.79 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 10th | +290 | 1.11 vs. 3.49 | 2.37 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 274th | 31st | 243 | 4.12 vs. 7.37 | 3.24 |
Field Goals Made per game | 26th | 11th | 15 | 8.71 vs. 9.39 | 0.68 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 16th | 74th | 58 | 19.47 vs. 16.12 | 3.34 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 238th | +300th | +62 | 1.36 vs. 0.00 | 1.36 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 122nd | +300th | +178 | 4.12 vs. 0.02 | 4.10 |
Free Throws Made per game | 18th | 58th | 40 | 6.22 vs. 4.92 | 1.31 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 28th | 5th | 23 | 7.44 vs. 9.32 | 1.88 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 24th | 36th | 12 | 25.64 vs. 24.31 | 1.33 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 5.09 vs. 11.61 | 6.52 |
Assists per game | 125th | +300th | +175 | 4.73 vs. 2.69 | 2.03 |
Steals per game | 97th | +300th | +203 | 1.41 vs. 0.54 | 0.87 |
Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.65 vs. 2.13 | 1.47 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 6th | +294 | 1.05 vs. 4.01 | 2.96 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 268th | 27th | 241 | 4.04 vs. 7.60 | 3.56 |
Field Goals Made per game | 30th | 22nd | 8 | 9.15 vs. 9.45 | 0.29 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 20th | 83rd | 63 | 20.45 vs. 16.79 | 3.66 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 197th | +300th | +103 | 1.33 vs. 0.00 | 1.33 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 163rd | +300th | +137 | 4.01 vs. 0.00 | 4.01 |
Free Throws Made per game | 34th | 60th | 26 | 6.00 vs. 5.41 | 0.59 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 41st | 2nd | 39 | 7.35 vs. 10.73 | 3.38 |
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.