Shaquille O'Neal vs. Chris Paul: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Paul 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 Shaquille O'Neal, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1993 to 2011, and Chris Paul, with 21 seasons played from 2006 to 2026, 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.
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | |
| Points | 9th | 36th | 5th | 31st |
| Rebounds | 15th | 193rd | 5th | 99th |
| Assists | 237th | 2nd | 53rd | 5th |
| Steals | +300th | 2nd | 92nd | 11th |
| Blocks | 8th | +300th | 4th | +300th |
| Years | 19 | 21 | 17 | 15 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Chris Paul | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | |
| Points | 30th | 192nd | 36th | 94th |
| Rebounds | 32nd | +300th | 23rd | +300th |
| Assists | +300th | 6th | +300th | 14th |
| Steals | +300th | 11th | +300th | 14th |
| Blocks | 15th | +300th | 15th | +300th |
Comparisons on this page: |
|
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 9th | 36th | 27 | 28,596 vs. 23,058 | 5,538 |
| Rebounds | 15th | 193rd | 178 | 13,099 vs. 6,006 | 7,093 |
| Assists | 237th | 2nd | 235 | 3,026 vs. 12,552 | 9,526 |
| Steals | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 739 vs. 2,728 | 1,989 |
| Blocks | 8th | +300th | +292 | 2,732 vs. 222 | 2,510 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | +300th | +294 | 4,209 vs. 798 | 3,411 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 11th | 82nd | 71 | 8,890 vs. 5,208 | 3,682 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 41st | 34 | 11,330 vs. 8,165 | 3,165 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 24th | 38th | 14 | 19,457 vs. 17,408 | 2,049 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 27th | +273 | 1 vs. 1,870 | 1,869 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 25th | +275 | 22 vs. 5,059 | 5,037 |
| Free Throws Made | 25th | 44th | 19 | 5,935 vs. 4,858 | 1,077 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 68th | 64 | 11,252 vs. 5,581 | 5,671 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 48th | 15th | 33 | 1,207 vs. 1,370 | 163 |
| Seasons | 13th | 3rd | 10 | 19 vs. 21 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 204th | 35th | 169 | 2 vs. 18 | 16 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 22nd | 121st | 99 | 49 vs. 8 | 41 |
| 50+ point games | 42nd | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 5th | 31st | 26 | 5,250 vs. 2,981 | 2,269 |
| Rebounds | 5th | 99th | 94 | 2,508 vs. 730 | 1,778 |
| Assists | 53rd | 5th | 48 | 582 vs. 1,233 | 651 |
| Steals | 92nd | 11th | 81 | 117 vs. 287 | 170 |
| Blocks | 4th | +300th | +296 | 459 vs. 31 | 428 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1st | 241st | 240 | 866 vs. 106 | 760 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 60th | 57 | 1,642 vs. 624 | 1,018 |
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 30th | 26 | 2,041 vs. 1,106 | 935 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 32nd | 25 | 3,627 vs. 2,287 | 1,340 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 21st | +279 | 0 vs. 244 | 244 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 22nd | +278 | 0 vs. 654 | 654 |
| Free Throws Made | 8th | 53rd | 45 | 1,168 vs. 525 | 643 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 61st | 59 | 2,317 vs. 615 | 1,702 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 9th | 48th | 39 | 216 vs. 149 | 67 |
| Playoffs | 6th | 17th | 11 | 17 vs. 15 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 20th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 8th | 55th | 47 | 12 vs. 2 | 10 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 30th | 192nd | 162 | 23.69 vs. 16.83 | 6.86 |
| Rebounds per game | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 10.85 vs. 4.38 | 6.47 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 6th | +294 | 2.51 vs. 9.16 | 6.66 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 0.61 vs. 1.99 | 1.38 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | +300th | +285 | 2.26 vs. 0.16 | 2.10 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 10th | +300th | +290 | 3.49 vs. 0.58 | 2.90 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 31st | +300th | +269 | 7.37 vs. 3.80 | 3.56 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 11th | 245th | 234 | 9.39 vs. 5.96 | 3.43 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 74th | 264th | 190 | 16.12 vs. 12.71 | 3.41 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 238th | +62 | 0.00 vs. 1.36 | 1.36 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 179th | +121 | 0.02 vs. 3.69 | 3.67 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 58th | 180th | 122 | 4.92 vs. 3.55 | 1.37 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 5th | 250th | 245 | 9.32 vs. 4.07 | 5.25 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Chris Paul | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 94th | 58 | 24.31 vs. 20.01 | 4.30 |
| Rebounds per game | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 11.61 vs. 4.90 | 6.71 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 14th | +286 | 2.69 vs. 8.28 | 5.58 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 14th | +286 | 0.54 vs. 1.93 | 1.38 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | +300th | +285 | 2.13 vs. 0.21 | 1.92 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 6th | +300th | +294 | 4.01 vs. 0.71 | 3.30 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 243rd | 216 | 7.60 vs. 4.19 | 3.41 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 22nd | 99th | 77 | 9.45 vs. 7.42 | 2.03 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 83rd | 133rd | 50 | 16.79 vs. 15.35 | 1.44 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 120th | +180 | 0.00 vs. 1.64 | 1.64 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 134th | +166 | 0.00 vs. 4.39 | 4.39 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 60th | 229th | 169 | 5.41 vs. 3.52 | 1.88 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 2nd | 299th | 297 | 10.73 vs. 4.13 | 6.60 |
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.