Penny Hardaway vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Penny Hardaway 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Penny Hardaway, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1994 to 2008, 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.
Penny Hardaway vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | +300th | 6th | 174th | 18th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 27th | +300th | 24th |
| Assists | 179th | 163rd | 87th | 105th |
| Steals | 128th | 96th | 87th | 55th |
| Blocks | +300th | 56th | 190th | 53rd |
| Years | 14 | 21 | 8 | 15 |
Penny Hardaway vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 275th | 59th | 85th | 28th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 181st | +300th | 61st |
| Assists | 126th | +300th | 52nd | +300th |
| Steals | 55th | +300th | 20th | 276th |
| Blocks | +300th | 228th | 268th | 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: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | +300th | 6th | +294 | 10,684 vs. 31,560 | 20,876 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 27th | +273 | 3,146 vs. 11,489 | 8,343 |
| Assists | 179th | 163rd | 16 | 3,525 vs. 3,651 | 126 |
| Steals | 128th | 96th | 32 | 1,125 vs. 1,210 | 85 |
| Blocks | +300th | 56th | +244 | 312 vs. 1,281 | 969 |
| Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 237th | +63 | 975 vs. 1,468 | 493 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 6th | +294 | 2,171 vs. 10,021 | 7,850 |
| Field Goals Made | +300th | 8th | +292 | 3,995 vs. 11,169 | 7,174 |
| Field Goals Attempted | +300th | 8th | +292 | 8,731 vs. 23,734 | 15,003 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 20th | +280 | 503 vs. 1,982 | 1,479 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 1,591 vs. 5,210 | 3,619 |
| Free Throws Made | +300th | 9th | +291 | 2,191 vs. 7,240 | 5,049 |
| Free Throws Attempted | +300th | 18th | +282 | 2,831 vs. 8,239 | 5,408 |
Games and Years: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 5th | +295 | 704 vs. 1,522 | 818 |
| Seasons | 194th | 3rd | 191 | 14 vs. 21 | 7 |
Triple-Doubles: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 109th | 205th | 96 | 5 vs. 2 | 3 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | +300th | 62nd | +238 | 1 vs. 20 | 19 |
| 50+ point games | - | 50th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 174th | 18th | 156 | 1,304 vs. 3,663 | 2,359 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 24th | +276 | 303 vs. 1,446 | 1,143 |
| Assists | 87th | 105th | 18 | 394 vs. 360 | 34 |
| Steals | 87th | 55th | 32 | 119 vs. 149 | 30 |
| Blocks | 190th | 53rd | 137 | 48 vs. 129 | 81 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 252nd | 83rd | 169 | 101 vs. 212 | 111 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 7th | +293 | 202 vs. 1,234 | 1,032 |
| Field Goals Made | 185th | 21st | 164 | 456 vs. 1,220 | 764 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 183rd | 21st | 162 | 1,018 vs. 2,642 | 1,624 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 113rd | 62nd | 51 | 101 vs. 149 | 48 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 128th | 63rd | 65 | 266 vs. 408 | 142 |
| Free Throws Made | 147th | 10th | 137 | 291 vs. 1,074 | 783 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 147th | 14th | 133 | 390 vs. 1,204 | 814 |
Games and Years: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | +300th | 54th | +246 | 64 vs. 145 | 81 |
| Playoffs | +300th | 17th | +283 | 8 vs. 15 | 7 |
Triple-Doubles: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 39th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Penny Hardaway | 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: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 275th | 59th | 216 | 15.18 vs. 20.74 | 5.56 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 181st | +119 | 4.47 vs. 7.55 | 3.08 |
| Assists per game | 126th | +300th | +174 | 5.01 vs. 2.40 | 2.61 |
| Steals per game | 55th | +300th | +245 | 1.60 vs. 0.80 | 0.80 |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 228th | +72 | 0.44 vs. 0.84 | 0.40 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.38 vs. 0.96 | 0.42 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 54th | +246 | 3.08 vs. 6.58 | 3.50 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 292nd | 91st | 201 | 5.67 vs. 7.34 | 1.66 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 292nd | 102nd | 190 | 12.40 vs. 15.59 | 3.19 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 271st | +29 | 0.71 vs. 1.30 | 0.59 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 216th | +84 | 2.26 vs. 3.42 | 1.16 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 256th | 69th | 187 | 3.11 vs. 4.76 | 1.64 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 264th | 107th | 157 | 4.02 vs. 5.41 | 1.39 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Penny Hardaway | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 85th | 28th | 57 | 20.38 vs. 25.26 | 4.89 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 61st | +239 | 4.73 vs. 9.97 | 5.24 |
| Assists per game | 52nd | +300th | +248 | 6.16 vs. 2.48 | 3.67 |
| Steals per game | 20th | 276th | 256 | 1.86 vs. 1.03 | 0.83 |
| Blocks per game | 268th | 188th | 80 | 0.75 vs. 0.89 | 0.14 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | +300th | 1.58 vs. 1.46 | 0.12 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 3.16 vs. 8.51 | 5.35 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 116th | 51st | 65 | 7.13 vs. 8.41 | 1.29 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 112nd | 58th | 54 | 15.91 vs. 18.22 | 2.31 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 131st | +300th | +169 | 1.58 vs. 1.03 | 0.55 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 152nd | +300th | +148 | 4.16 vs. 2.81 | 1.34 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 107th | 10th | 97 | 4.55 vs. 7.41 | 2.86 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 96th | 23rd | 73 | 6.09 vs. 8.30 | 2.21 |
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.