Shaquille O'Neal vs. James Worthy: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Shaquille O'Neal and James Worthy 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 Shaquille O'Neal, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1993 to 2011, and James Worthy, with 12 seasons played from 1983 to 1994, 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. James Worthy | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | |
| Points | 9th | 120th | 5th | 29th |
| Rebounds | 15th | +300th | 5th | 90th |
| Assists | 237th | 281st | 53rd | 72nd |
| Steals | +300th | 167th | 92nd | 39th |
| Blocks | 8th | 223rd | 4th | 87th |
| Years | 19 | 12 | 17 | 9 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. James Worthy | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | |
| Points | 30th | 154th | 36th | 73rd |
| Rebounds | 32nd | +300th | 23rd | +300th |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | 296th |
| Steals | +300th | 261st | +300th | 150th |
| Blocks | 15th | +300th | 15th | +300th |
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 | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 9th | 120th | 111 | 28,596 vs. 16,320 | 12,276 |
| Rebounds | 15th | +300th | +285 | 13,099 vs. 4,708 | 8,391 |
| Assists | 237th | 281st | 44 | 3,026 vs. 2,791 | 235 |
| Steals | +300th | 167th | +133 | 739 vs. 1,041 | 302 |
| Blocks | 8th | 223rd | 215 | 2,732 vs. 624 | 2,108 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | 208th | 202 | 4,209 vs. 1,561 | 2,648 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 11th | 282nd | 271 | 8,890 vs. 3,147 | 5,743 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 84th | 77 | 11,330 vs. 6,878 | 4,452 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 24th | 121st | 97 | 19,457 vs. 13,204 | 6,253 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 1 vs. 117 | 116 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 22 vs. 486 | 464 | |
| Free Throws Made | 25th | 271st | 246 | 5,935 vs. 2,447 | 3,488 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 276th | 272 | 11,252 vs. 3,184 | 8,068 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 48th | 235th | 187 | 1,207 vs. 926 | 281 |
| Seasons | 13th | +300th | 19 vs. 12 | 7 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 204th | +300th | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 22nd | - | 49 vs. 0 | 49 | |
| 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 | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 5th | 29th | 24 | 5,250 vs. 3,022 | 2,228 |
| Rebounds | 5th | 90th | 85 | 2,508 vs. 747 | 1,761 |
| Assists | 53rd | 72nd | 19 | 582 vs. 463 | 119 |
| Steals | 92nd | 39th | 53 | 117 vs. 177 | 60 |
| Blocks | 4th | 87th | 83 | 459 vs. 96 | 363 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1st | 50th | 49 | 866 vs. 257 | 609 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 94th | 91 | 1,642 vs. 490 | 1,152 |
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 20th | 16 | 2,041 vs. 1,267 | 774 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 31st | 24 | 3,627 vs. 2,329 | 1,298 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 14 | 14 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 67 | 67 | |
| Free Throws Made | 8th | 62nd | 54 | 1,168 vs. 474 | 694 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 55th | 53 | 2,317 vs. 652 | 1,665 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 9th | 61st | 52 | 216 vs. 143 | 73 |
| Playoffs | 6th | 223rd | 217 | 17 vs. 9 | 8 |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 38th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | 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 | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 30th | 154th | 124 | 23.69 vs. 17.62 | 6.07 |
| Rebounds per game | 32nd | +300th | +268 | 10.85 vs. 5.08 | 5.77 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.51 vs. 3.01 | 0.51 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 261st | +39 | 0.61 vs. 1.12 | 0.51 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | +300th | +285 | 2.26 vs. 0.67 | 1.59 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 10th | +300th | +290 | 3.49 vs. 1.69 | 1.80 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 31st | +300th | +269 | 7.37 vs. 3.40 | 3.97 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 11th | 82nd | 71 | 9.39 vs. 7.43 | 1.96 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 75th | 172nd | 97 | 16.12 vs. 14.26 | 1.86 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.13 | 0.13 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 0.52 | 0.51 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 58th | +300th | +242 | 4.92 vs. 2.64 | 2.27 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 5th | +300th | +295 | 9.32 vs. 3.44 | 5.88 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | James Worthy | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 73rd | 37 | 24.31 vs. 21.13 | 3.17 |
| Rebounds per game | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 11.61 vs. 5.22 | 6.39 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 296th | +4 | 2.69 vs. 3.24 | 0.54 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 150th | +150 | 0.54 vs. 1.24 | 0.70 |
| Blocks per game | 15th | +300th | +285 | 2.13 vs. 0.67 | 1.45 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 6th | 281st | 275 | 4.01 vs. 1.80 | 2.21 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | +300th | +273 | 7.60 vs. 3.43 | 4.18 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 22nd | 39th | 17 | 9.45 vs. 8.86 | 0.59 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 83rd | 101st | 18 | 16.79 vs. 16.29 | 0.50 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.10 | 0.10 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.47 | 0.47 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 60th | 266th | 206 | 5.41 vs. 3.31 | 2.09 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 2nd | 237th | 235 | 10.73 vs. 4.56 | 6.17 |
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.