Patrick Ewing vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Patrick Ewing and Dirk Nowitzki 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 / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Patrick Ewing, with a career spanning 17 seasons from 1986 to 2002, 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, 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.
Patrick Ewing vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 28th | 6th | 38th | 18th |
| Rebounds | 26th | 27th | 26th | 24th |
| Assists | +300th | 163rd | 162nd | 105th |
| Steals | 124th | 96th | 83rd | 55th |
| Blocks | 7th | 56th | 7th | 53rd |
| Years | 17 | 21 | 14 | 15 |
Patrick Ewing vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 54th | 59th | 88th | 28th |
| Rebounds | 62nd | 181st | 48th | 61st |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | 276th |
| Blocks | 11th | 228th | 13th | 188th |
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: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 28th | 6th | 22 | 24,815 vs. 31,560 | 6,745 |
| Rebounds | 26th | 27th | 1 | 11,607 vs. 11,489 | 118 |
| Assists | +300th | 163rd | +137 | 2,215 vs. 3,651 | 1,436 |
| Steals | 124th | 96th | 28 | 1,136 vs. 1,210 | 74 |
| Blocks | 7th | 56th | 49 | 2,894 vs. 1,281 | 1,613 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 41st | 237th | 196 | 2,752 vs. 1,468 | 1,284 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 12th | 6th | 6 | 8,855 vs. 10,021 | 1,166 |
| Field Goals Made | 18th | 8th | 10 | 9,702 vs. 11,169 | 1,467 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 25th | 8th | 17 | 19,241 vs. 23,734 | 4,493 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 20th | +280 | 19 vs. 1,982 | 1,963 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 125 vs. 5,210 | 5,085 |
| Free Throws Made | 31st | 9th | 22 | 5,392 vs. 7,240 | 1,848 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 33rd | 18th | 15 | 7,289 vs. 8,239 | 950 |
Games and Years: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 54th | 5th | 49 | 1,183 vs. 1,522 | 339 |
| Seasons | 59th | 3rd | 56 | 17 vs. 21 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 275th | 205th | 70 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 43rd | 62nd | 19 | 30 vs. 20 | 10 |
| 50+ point games | 49th | 50th | 1 | 2 vs. 2 | 0 |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 38th | 18th | 20 | 2,813 vs. 3,663 | 850 |
| Rebounds | 26th | 24th | 2 | 1,435 vs. 1,446 | 11 |
| Assists | 162nd | 105th | 57 | 275 vs. 360 | 85 |
| Steals | 83rd | 55th | 28 | 122 vs. 149 | 27 |
| Blocks | 7th | 53rd | 46 | 303 vs. 129 | 174 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 29th | 83rd | 54 | 337 vs. 212 | 125 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 16th | 7th | 9 | 1,098 vs. 1,234 | 136 |
| Field Goals Made | 31st | 21st | 10 | 1,104 vs. 1,220 | 116 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 29th | 21st | 8 | 2,353 vs. 2,642 | 289 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 62nd | +238 | 8 vs. 149 | 141 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 63rd | +237 | 23 vs. 408 | 385 |
| Free Throws Made | 43rd | 10th | 33 | 597 vs. 1,074 | 477 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 37th | 14th | 23 | 831 vs. 1,204 | 373 |
Games and Years: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 71st | 54th | 17 | 139 vs. 145 | 6 |
| Playoffs | 30th | 17th | 13 | 14 vs. 15 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 55th | 20th | 35 | 2 vs. 7 | 5 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 54th | 59th | 5 | 20.98 vs. 20.74 | 0.24 |
| Rebounds per game | 62nd | 181st | 119 | 9.81 vs. 7.55 | 2.26 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 1.87 vs. 2.40 | 0.53 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.96 vs. 0.80 | 0.17 | |
| Blocks per game | 11th | 228th | 217 | 2.45 vs. 0.84 | 1.60 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 131st | +300th | +169 | 2.33 vs. 0.96 | 1.36 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 29th | 54th | 25 | 7.49 vs. 6.58 | 0.90 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 45th | 91st | 46 | 8.20 vs. 7.34 | 0.86 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 67th | 102nd | 35 | 16.26 vs. 15.59 | 0.67 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 271st | +29 | 0.02 vs. 1.30 | 1.29 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 216th | +84 | 0.11 vs. 3.42 | 3.32 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 79th | 69th | 10 | 4.56 vs. 4.76 | 0.20 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 66th | 107th | 41 | 6.16 vs. 5.41 | 0.75 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Patrick Ewing | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 88th | 28th | 60 | 20.24 vs. 25.26 | 5.02 |
| Rebounds per game | 48th | 61st | 13 | 10.32 vs. 9.97 | 0.35 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 1.98 vs. 2.48 | 0.50 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 276th | +24 | 0.88 vs. 1.03 | 0.15 |
| Blocks per game | 13th | 188th | 175 | 2.18 vs. 0.89 | 1.29 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 125th | +300th | +175 | 2.42 vs. 1.46 | 0.96 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 23rd | 11th | 12 | 7.90 vs. 8.51 | 0.61 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 67th | 51st | 16 | 7.94 vs. 8.41 | 0.47 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 80th | 58th | 22 | 16.93 vs. 18.22 | 1.29 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.06 vs. 1.03 | 0.97 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.17 vs. 2.81 | 2.65 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 134th | 10th | 124 | 4.29 vs. 7.41 | 3.11 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 106th | 23rd | 83 | 5.98 vs. 8.30 | 2.33 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 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 a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.