Shaquille O'Neal vs. David Robinson: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson 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 David Robinson, with 14 seasons played from 1990 to 2003, 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. David Robinson | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | |
| Points | 9th | 46th | 5th | 55th |
| Rebounds | 15th | 35th | 5th | 31st |
| Assists | 237th | +300th | 53rd | 159th |
| Steals | +300th | 67th | 92nd | 53rd |
| Blocks | 8th | 6th | 4th | 5th |
| Years | 19 | 14 | 17 | 12 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. David Robinson | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | |
| Points | 30th | 51st | 36th | 151st |
| Rebounds | 32nd | 38th | 23rd | 41st |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | 107th | +300th | 159th |
| Blocks | 15th | 4th | 15th | 6th |
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: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 9th | 46th | 37 | 28,596 vs. 20,790 | 7,806 |
| Rebounds | 15th | 35th | 20 | 13,099 vs. 10,497 | 2,602 |
| Assists | 237th | +300th | +63 | 3,026 vs. 2,441 | 585 |
| Steals | +300th | 67th | +233 | 739 vs. 1,388 | 649 |
| Blocks | 8th | 6th | 2 | 2,732 vs. 2,954 | 222 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | 29th | 23 | 4,209 vs. 3,083 | 1,126 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 11th | 24th | 13 | 8,890 vs. 7,414 | 1,476 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 61st | 54 | 11,330 vs. 7,365 | 3,965 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 24th | 93rd | 69 | 19,457 vs. 14,221 | 5,236 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 1 vs. 25 | 24 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 22 vs. 100 | 78 | |
| Free Throws Made | 25th | 23rd | 2 | 5,935 vs. 6,035 | 100 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 19th | 15 | 11,252 vs. 8,201 | 3,051 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 48th | 164th | 116 | 1,207 vs. 987 | 220 |
| Seasons | 13th | 194th | 181 | 19 vs. 14 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 204th | 50th | 154 | 2 vs. 14 | 12 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 22nd | 55th | 33 | 49 vs. 22 | 27 |
| 50+ point games | 42nd | 42nd | 0 | 3 vs. 3 | 0 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 11th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
| 70+ point games | - | 2nd | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 5th | 55th | 50 | 5,250 vs. 2,221 | 3,029 |
| Rebounds | 5th | 31st | 26 | 2,508 vs. 1,301 | 1,207 |
| Assists | 53rd | 159th | 106 | 582 vs. 280 | 302 |
| Steals | 92nd | 53rd | 39 | 117 vs. 151 | 34 |
| Blocks | 4th | 5th | 1 | 459 vs. 312 | 147 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1st | 21st | 20 | 866 vs. 367 | 499 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 22nd | 19 | 1,642 vs. 934 | 708 |
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 63rd | 59 | 2,041 vs. 768 | 1,273 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 71st | 64 | 3,627 vs. 1,604 | 2,023 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 10 | 10 | |
| Free Throws Made | 8th | 34th | 26 | 1,168 vs. 684 | 484 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 26th | 24 | 2,317 vs. 966 | 1,351 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 9th | 100th | 91 | 216 vs. 123 | 93 |
| Playoffs | 6th | 76th | 70 | 17 vs. 12 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 39th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 8th | 78th | 70 | 12 vs. 1 | 11 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 30th | 51st | 21 | 23.69 vs. 21.06 | 2.63 |
| Rebounds per game | 32nd | 38th | 6 | 10.85 vs. 10.64 | 0.22 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.51 vs. 2.47 | 0.03 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 107th | +193 | 0.61 vs. 1.41 | 0.79 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | 4th | 11 | 2.26 vs. 2.99 | 0.73 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 10th | 24th | 14 | 3.49 vs. 3.12 | 0.36 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 31st | 28th | 3 | 7.37 vs. 7.51 | 0.15 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 11th | 79th | 68 | 9.39 vs. 7.46 | 1.92 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 74th | 159th | 85 | 16.12 vs. 14.41 | 1.71 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | 0.02 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.10 | 0.08 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 58th | 21st | 37 | 4.92 vs. 6.11 | 1.20 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 5th | 17th | 12 | 9.32 vs. 8.31 | 1.01 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | David Robinson | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 151st | 115 | 24.31 vs. 18.06 | 6.25 |
| Rebounds per game | 23rd | 41st | 18 | 11.61 vs. 10.58 | 1.03 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.69 vs. 2.28 | 0.42 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 159th | +141 | 0.54 vs. 1.23 | 0.69 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | 6th | 9 | 2.13 vs. 2.54 | 0.41 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 6th | 52nd | 46 | 4.01 vs. 2.98 | 1.03 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 28th | 1 | 7.60 vs. 7.59 | 0.01 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 22nd | 185th | 163 | 9.45 vs. 6.24 | 3.21 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 83rd | 236th | 153 | 16.79 vs. 13.04 | 3.75 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.01 | 0.01 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.08 | 0.08 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 60th | 53rd | 7 | 5.41 vs. 5.56 | 0.15 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 2nd | 31st | 29 | 10.73 vs. 7.85 | 2.87 |
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.