Shaquille O'Neal vs. Klay Thompson: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Shaquille O'Neal and Klay Thompson all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings

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 Klay Thompson, with 13 seasons played from 2012 to 2026, stand among the league's historical elite.

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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. Klay Thompson
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson
Points
9th
110th
5th
29th
Rebounds
15th
+300th
5th
136th
Assists
237th
+300th
53rd
113rd
Steals
+300th
+300th
92nd
54th
Blocks
8th
+300th
4th
101st
Years1913179

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Klay Thompson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson
Points
30th
108th
36th
114th
Rebounds
32nd
+300th
23rd
+300th
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Blocks
15th
+300th
15th
+300th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
9th
110th
101 28,596 vs. 16,88311,713
Rebounds
15th
+300th
+285 13,099 vs. 3,1209,979
Assists
237th
+300th
+63 3,026 vs. 2,028998
Steals
+300th
+300th
739 vs. 7390
Blocks
8th
+300th
+292 2,732 vs. 4532,279
Offensive Rebounds
6th
+300th
+294 4,209 vs. 4153,794
Defensive Rebounds
11th
+300th
+289 8,890 vs. 2,7056,185
Field Goals Made
7th
113rd
106 11,330 vs. 6,2785,052
Field Goals Attempted
24th
98th
74 19,457 vs. 13,9905,467
3-Pointers Made
+300th
5th
+295 1 vs. 2,7822,781
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
6th
+294 22 vs. 6,8036,781
Free Throws Made
25th
+300th
+275 5,935 vs. 1,5454,390
Free Throws Attempted
4th
+300th
+296 11,252 vs. 1,8029,450

Games and Years:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
48th
277th
229 1,207 vs. 896311
Seasons
13th
300th
287 19 vs. 136

Rankings by Points Scored:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
22nd
66th
44 49 vs. 1831
50+ point games
42nd
31st
11 3 vs. 41
60+ point games
11th
11th
0 1 vs. 10
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
5th
29th
24 5,250 vs. 3,0322,218
Rebounds
5th
136th
131 2,508 vs. 6261,882
Assists
53rd
113rd
60 582 vs. 351231
Steals
92nd
54th
38 117 vs. 15033
Blocks
4th
101st
97 459 vs. 85374
Offensive Rebounds
1st
+300th
+299 866 vs. 79787
Defensive Rebounds
3rd
76th
73 1,642 vs. 5471,095
Field Goals Made
4th
28th
24 2,041 vs. 1,126915
Field Goals Attempted
7th
23rd
16 3,627 vs. 2,5851,042
3-Pointers Made
+300th
2nd
+298 0 vs. 501501
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
4th
+296 0 vs. 1,2371,237
Free Throws Made
8th
158th
150 1,168 vs. 279889
Free Throws Attempted
2nd
195th
193 2,317 vs. 3301,987

Games and Years:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
9th
39th
30 216 vs. 15858
Playoffs
6th
223rd
217 17 vs. 98

Rankings by Points Scored:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
8th
78th
70 12 vs. 111
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
30th
108th
78 23.69 vs. 18.844.85
Rebounds per game
32nd
+300th
+268 10.85 vs. 3.487.37
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.51 vs. 2.260.24
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.61 vs. 0.820.21
Blocks per game
15th
+300th
+285 2.26 vs. 0.511.76
Offensive Rebounds per game
10th
+300th
+290 3.49 vs. 0.463.02
Defensive Rebounds per game
31st
+300th
+269 7.37 vs. 3.024.35
Field Goals Made per game
11th
121st
110 9.39 vs. 7.012.38
Field Goals Attempted per game
74th
100th
26 16.12 vs. 15.610.51
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
3rd
+297 0.00 vs. 3.103.10
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
7th
+293 0.02 vs. 7.597.57
Free Throws Made per game
58th
+300th
+242 4.92 vs. 1.723.19
Free Throws Attempted per game
5th
+300th
+295 9.32 vs. 2.017.31

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Shaquille O'Neal Klay Thompson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
36th
114th
78 24.31 vs. 19.195.12
Rebounds per game
23rd
+300th
+277 11.61 vs. 3.967.65
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
2.69 vs. 2.220.47
Steals per game
+300th
+300th
0.54 vs. 0.950.41
Blocks per game
15th
+300th
+285 2.13 vs. 0.541.59
Offensive Rebounds per game
6th
+300th
+294 4.01 vs. 0.503.51
Defensive Rebounds per game
27th
+300th
+273 7.60 vs. 3.464.14
Field Goals Made per game
22nd
116th
94 9.45 vs. 7.132.32
Field Goals Attempted per game
83rd
97th
14 16.79 vs. 16.360.43
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
4th
+296 0.00 vs. 3.173.17
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
9th
+291 0.00 vs. 7.837.83
Free Throws Made per game
60th
+300th
+240 5.41 vs. 1.773.64
Free Throws Attempted per game
2nd
+300th
+298 10.73 vs. 2.098.64

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.