Moses Malone vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Moses Malone and Dirk Nowitzki all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Moses Malone, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1977 to 1995, and Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons played from 1999 to 2019, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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.

Moses Malone vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki
Points
12th
6th
63rd
18th
Rebounds
5th
27th
32nd
24th
Assists
+300th
160th
+300th
105th
Steals
140th
95th
155th
55th
Blocks
29th
55th
37th
53rd
Years19211215

Moses Malone vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki
Points
63rd
58th
56th
28th
Rebounds
15th
180th
9th
61st
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
+300th
+300th
+300th
276th
Blocks
106th
227th
54th
188th

The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
* Some years in Moses Malone's career don't have data for these stats.

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
12th
6th
6 27,409 vs. 31,5604,151
Rebounds
5th
27th
22 16,212 vs. 11,4894,723
Assists
+300th
160th
+140 1,796 vs. 3,6511,855
Steals
140th
95th
45 1,089 vs. 1,210121
Blocks
29th
55th
26 1,733 vs. 1,281452
Offensive Rebounds
1st
236th
235 6,731 vs. 1,4685,263
Defensive Rebounds
9th
6th
3 9,481 vs. 10,021540
Field Goals Made
22nd
8th
14 9,435 vs. 11,1691,734
Field Goals Attempted
26th
8th
18 19,225 vs. 23,7344,509
3-Pointers Made
+300th
20th
+280 8 vs. 1,9821,974
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
21st
+279 80 vs. 5,2105,130
Free Throws Made
3rd
9th
6 8,531 vs. 7,2401,291
Free Throws Attempted
5th
18th
13 11,090 vs. 8,2392,851

Games and Years:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
19th
5th
14 1,329 vs. 1,522193
Seasons
12th
3rd
9 19 vs. 212

Rankings by Points Scored:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
49th
61st
12 26 vs. 206
50+ point games
30th
49th
19 4 vs. 22
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
63rd
18th
45 2,077 vs. 3,6631,586
Rebounds
32nd
24th
8 1,295 vs. 1,446151
Assists
+300th
105th
+195 136 vs. 360224
Steals
155th
55th
100 84 vs. 14965
Blocks
37th
53rd
16 151 vs. 12922
Offensive Rebounds
7th
83rd
76 510 vs. 212298
Defensive Rebounds
38th
7th
31 785 vs. 1,234449
Field Goals Made
67th
21st
46 750 vs. 1,220470
Field Goals Attempted
77th
21st
56 1,566 vs. 2,6421,076
3-Pointers Made
+300th
62nd
+238 1 vs. 149148
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
63rd
+237 7 vs. 408401
Free Throws Made
46th
10th
36 576 vs. 1,074498
Free Throws Attempted
45th
14th
31 756 vs. 1,204448

Games and Years:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
198th
54th
144 94 vs. 14551
Playoffs
76th
17th
59 12 vs. 153

Rankings by Points Scored:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
55th
20th
35 2 vs. 75
50+ point games
-
9th
0 vs. 11
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
63rd
58th
5 20.62 vs. 20.740.11
Rebounds per game
15th
180th
165 12.20 vs. 7.554.65
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
1.35 vs. 2.401.05
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.82 vs. 0.800.02
Blocks per game
106th
227th
121 1.30 vs. 0.840.46
Offensive Rebounds per game
1st
+300th
+299 5.06 vs. 0.964.10
Defensive Rebounds per game
38th
54th
16 7.13 vs. 6.580.55
Field Goals Made per game
107th
89th
18 7.10 vs. 7.340.24
Field Goals Attempted per game
153rd
101st
52 14.47 vs. 15.591.13
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
268th
+32 0.01 vs. 1.301.30
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
209th
+91 0.07 vs. 3.423.35
Free Throws Made per game
17th
70th
53 6.42 vs. 4.761.66
Free Throws Attempted per game
14th
106th
92 8.34 vs. 5.412.93

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
56th
28th
28 22.10 vs. 25.263.17
Rebounds per game
9th
61st
52 13.78 vs. 9.973.80
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
1.45 vs. 2.481.04
Steals per game
+300th
276th
+24 0.89 vs. 1.030.13
Blocks per game
54th
188th
134 1.61 vs. 0.890.72
Offensive Rebounds per game
1st
+300th
+299 5.43 vs. 1.463.96
Defensive Rebounds per game
14th
11th
3 8.35 vs. 8.510.16
Field Goals Made per game
65th
51st
14 7.98 vs. 8.410.44
Field Goals Attempted per game
89th
58th
31 16.66 vs. 18.221.56
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.01 vs. 1.031.02
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
0.09 vs. 2.812.73
Free Throws Made per game
30th
10th
20 6.13 vs. 7.411.28
Free Throws Attempted per game
26th
23rd
3 8.04 vs. 8.300.26

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.