Steve Nash vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal 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 Steve Nash, with a career spanning 18 seasons from 1997 to 2014, and Shaquille O'Neal, with 19 seasons played from 1993 to 2011, 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.
Steve Nash vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 96th | 9th | 64th | 5th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 15th | 245th | 5th |
| Assists | 5th | 235th | 10th | 53rd |
| Steals | 242nd | +300th | 222nd | 92nd |
| Blocks | +300th | 8th | +300th | 4th |
| Years | 18 | 19 | 12 | 17 |
Steve Nash vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | +300th | 29th | 171st | 36th |
| Rebounds | +300th | 32nd | +300th | 23rd |
| Assists | 11th | +300th | 8th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Blocks | +300th | 15th | +300th | 15th |
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: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 96th | 9th | 87 | 17,387 vs. 28,596 | 11,209 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 15th | +285 | 3,642 vs. 13,099 | 9,457 |
| Assists | 5th | 235th | 230 | 10,335 vs. 3,026 | 7,309 |
| Steals | 242nd | +300th | +58 | 899 vs. 739 | 160 |
| Blocks | +300th | 8th | +292 | 102 vs. 2,732 | 2,630 |
| Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 6th | +294 | 643 vs. 4,209 | 3,566 |
| Defensive Rebounds | +300th | 11th | +289 | 2,999 vs. 8,890 | 5,891 |
| Field Goals Made | 110th | 7th | 103 | 6,321 vs. 11,330 | 5,009 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 132nd | 23rd | 109 | 12,892 vs. 19,457 | 6,565 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 37th | +300th | +263 | 1,685 vs. 1 | 1,684 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 60th | +300th | +240 | 3,939 vs. 22 | 3,917 |
| Free Throws Made | 170th | 25th | 145 | 3,060 vs. 5,935 | 2,875 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 244th | 4th | 240 | 3,384 vs. 11,252 | 7,868 |
Games and Years: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 43rd | 47th | 4 | 1,217 vs. 1,207 | 10 |
| Seasons | 29th | 12th | 17 | 18 vs. 19 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 160th | 202nd | 42 | 3 vs. 2 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 276th | 21st | 255 | 2 vs. 49 | 47 |
| 50+ point games | - | 40th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 64th | 5th | 59 | 2,072 vs. 5,250 | 3,178 |
| Rebounds | 245th | 5th | 240 | 422 vs. 2,508 | 2,086 |
| Assists | 10th | 53rd | 43 | 1,061 vs. 582 | 479 |
| Steals | 222nd | 92nd | 130 | 66 vs. 117 | 51 |
| Blocks | +300th | 4th | +296 | 14 vs. 459 | 445 |
| Offensive Rebounds | +300th | 1st | +299 | 68 vs. 866 | 798 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 163rd | 3rd | 160 | 354 vs. 1,642 | 1,288 |
| Field Goals Made | 68th | 4th | 64 | 749 vs. 2,041 | 1,292 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 74th | 7th | 67 | 1,584 vs. 3,627 | 2,043 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 42nd | +300th | +258 | 178 vs. 0 | 178 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 55th | +300th | +245 | 438 vs. 0 | 438 |
| Free Throws Made | 83rd | 8th | 75 | 396 vs. 1,168 | 772 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 119th | 2nd | 117 | 440 vs. 2,317 | 1,877 |
Games and Years: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 105th | 9th | 96 | 120 vs. 216 | 96 |
| Playoffs | 76th | 6th | 70 | 12 vs. 17 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 39th | +300th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 78th | 8th | 70 | 1 vs. 12 | 11 |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | +300th | 29th | +271 | 14.29 vs. 23.69 | 9.41 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 32nd | +268 | 2.99 vs. 10.85 | 7.86 |
| Assists per game | 11th | +300th | +289 | 8.49 vs. 2.51 | 5.99 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.74 vs. 0.61 | 0.13 | |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.08 vs. 2.26 | 2.18 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 10th | +290 | 0.53 vs. 3.49 | 2.96 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 31st | +269 | 2.46 vs. 7.37 | 4.90 |
| Field Goals Made per game | +300th | 11th | +289 | 5.19 vs. 9.39 | 4.19 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | +300th | 74th | +226 | 10.59 vs. 16.12 | 5.53 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 229th | +300th | +71 | 1.38 vs. 0.00 | 1.38 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 3.24 vs. 0.02 | 3.22 |
| Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 58th | +242 | 2.51 vs. 4.92 | 2.40 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 5th | +295 | 2.78 vs. 9.32 | 6.54 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 171st | 36th | 135 | 17.27 vs. 24.31 | 7.04 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 23rd | +277 | 3.52 vs. 11.61 | 8.09 |
| Assists per game | 8th | +300th | +292 | 8.84 vs. 2.69 | 6.15 |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.55 vs. 0.54 | 0.01 | |
| Blocks per game | +300th | 15th | +285 | 0.12 vs. 2.13 | 2.01 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 6th | +294 | 0.57 vs. 4.01 | 3.44 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 27th | +273 | 2.95 vs. 7.60 | 4.65 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 185th | 22nd | 163 | 6.24 vs. 9.45 | 3.21 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 228th | 83rd | 145 | 13.20 vs. 16.79 | 3.59 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 166th | +300th | +134 | 1.48 vs. 0.00 | 1.48 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 194th | +300th | +106 | 3.65 vs. 0.00 | 3.65 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 268th | 60th | 208 | 3.30 vs. 5.41 | 2.11 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 3.67 vs. 10.73 | 7.06 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 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 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.