Shaquille O'Neal vs. Karl-Anthony Towns: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Shaquille O'Neal and Karl-Anthony Towns all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
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 Karl-Anthony Towns, with 11 seasons played from 2016 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. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 9th | 148th | 5th | 250th |
| Rebounds | 15th | 97th | 5th | 181st |
| Assists | 237th | +300th | 53rd | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | 92nd | +300th |
| Blocks | 8th | 160th | 4th | 272nd |
| Years | 19 | 11 | 17 | 5 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 30th | 35th | 36th | 97th |
| Rebounds | 32nd | 28th | 23rd | 37th |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Blocks | 15th | 128th | 15th | 288th |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 9th | 148th | 139 | 28,596 vs. 15,540 | 13,056 |
| Rebounds | 15th | 97th | 82 | 13,099 vs. 7,492 | 5,607 |
| Assists | 237th | +300th | +63 | 3,026 vs. 2,124 | 902 |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | 739 vs. 548 | 191 | |
| Blocks | 8th | 160th | 152 | 2,732 vs. 792 | 1,940 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | 128th | 122 | 4,209 vs. 1,893 | 2,316 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 11th | 62nd | 51 | 8,890 vs. 5,599 | 3,291 |
| Field Goals Made | 7th | 163rd | 156 | 11,330 vs. 5,674 | 5,656 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 24th | 232nd | 208 | 19,457 vs. 10,874 | 8,583 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 117th | +183 | 1 vs. 1,171 | 1,170 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 149th | +151 | 22 vs. 2,938 | 2,916 |
| Free Throws Made | 25th | 178th | 153 | 5,935 vs. 3,021 | 2,914 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 211st | 207 | 11,252 vs. 3,600 | 7,652 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 48th | +300th | 1,207 vs. 675 | 532 | |
| Seasons | 13th | +300th | 19 vs. 11 | 8 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 204th | 166th | 38 | 2 vs. 3 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 22nd | 64th | 42 | 49 vs. 19 | 30 |
| 50+ point games | 42nd | 42nd | 0 | 3 vs. 3 | 0 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 7th | 4 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 5th | 250th | 245 | 5,250 vs. 989 | 4,261 |
| Rebounds | 5th | 181st | 176 | 2,508 vs. 536 | 1,972 |
| Assists | 53rd | +300th | +247 | 582 vs. 100 | 482 |
| Steals | 92nd | +300th | +208 | 117 vs. 34 | 83 |
| Blocks | 4th | 272nd | 268 | 459 vs. 36 | 423 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1st | 242nd | 241 | 866 vs. 105 | 761 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 116th | 113 | 1,642 vs. 431 | 1,211 |
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 272nd | 268 | 2,041 vs. 346 | 1,695 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 7th | 293rd | 286 | 3,627 vs. 727 | 2,900 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 173rd | +127 | 0 vs. 75 | 75 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 177th | +123 | 0 vs. 214 | 214 |
| Free Throws Made | 8th | 219th | 211 | 1,168 vs. 222 | 946 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 243rd | 241 | 2,317 vs. 267 | 2,050 |
Games and Years: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 9th | +300th | 216 vs. 50 | 166 | |
| Playoffs | 6th | +300th | 17 vs. 5 | 12 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 8th | - | 12 vs. 0 | 12 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 30th | 35th | 5 | 23.69 vs. 23.02 | 0.67 |
| Rebounds per game | 32nd | 28th | 4 | 10.85 vs. 11.10 | 0.25 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.51 vs. 3.15 | 0.64 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.61 vs. 0.81 | 0.20 | |
| Blocks per game | 15th | 128th | 113 | 2.26 vs. 1.17 | 1.09 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 10th | 52nd | 42 | 3.49 vs. 2.80 | 0.68 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 31st | 7th | 24 | 7.37 vs. 8.29 | 0.93 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 11th | 39th | 28 | 9.39 vs. 8.41 | 0.98 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 74th | 75th | 1 | 16.12 vs. 16.11 | 0.01 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 110th | +190 | 0.00 vs. 1.73 | 1.73 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 103rd | +197 | 0.02 vs. 4.35 | 4.33 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 58th | 86th | 28 | 4.92 vs. 4.48 | 0.44 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 5th | 113rd | 108 | 9.32 vs. 5.33 | 3.99 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Shaquille O'Neal | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 36th | 97th | 61 | 24.31 vs. 19.78 | 4.53 |
| Rebounds per game | 23rd | 37th | 14 | 11.61 vs. 10.72 | 0.89 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 2.69 vs. 2.00 | 0.69 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.54 vs. 0.68 | 0.14 | |
| Blocks per game | 15th | 288th | 273 | 2.13 vs. 0.72 | 1.41 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 6th | 198th | 192 | 4.01 vs. 2.10 | 1.91 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 27th | 10th | 17 | 7.60 vs. 8.62 | 1.02 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 22nd | 133rd | 111 | 9.45 vs. 6.92 | 2.53 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 83rd | 162nd | 79 | 16.79 vs. 14.54 | 2.25 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 155th | +145 | 0.00 vs. 1.50 | 1.50 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 140th | +160 | 0.00 vs. 4.28 | 4.28 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 60th | 113rd | 53 | 5.41 vs. 4.44 | 0.97 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 2nd | 144th | 142 | 10.73 vs. 5.34 | 5.39 |
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.