Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki 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 Tim Duncan, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1998 to 2016, and Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons played from 1999 to 2019, 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.
Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 17th | 6th | 6th | 18th |
| Rebounds | 6th | 27th | 3rd | 24th |
| Assists | 110th | 160th | 33rd | 105th |
| Steals | 172nd | 95th | 48th | 55th |
| Blocks | 5th | 55th | 1st | 53rd |
| Years | 19 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Points | 98th | 58th | 81st | 28th |
| Rebounds | 33rd | 180th | 26th | 61st |
| Assists | +300th | +300th | +300th | +300th |
| Steals | +300th | +300th | +300th | 276th |
| Blocks | 21st | 228th | 10th | 188th |
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: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 6th | 11 | 26,496 vs. 31,560 | 5,064 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 27th | 21 | 15,091 vs. 11,489 | 3,602 |
| Assists | 110th | 160th | 50 | 4,225 vs. 3,651 | 574 |
| Steals | 172nd | 95th | 77 | 1,025 vs. 1,210 | 185 |
| Blocks | 5th | 55th | 50 | 3,020 vs. 1,281 | 1,739 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 11th | 236th | 225 | 3,859 vs. 1,468 | 2,391 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 6th | 3 | 11,232 vs. 10,021 | 1,211 |
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 8th | 7 | 10,285 vs. 11,169 | 884 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 18th | 8th | 10 | 20,334 vs. 23,734 | 3,400 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 20th | +280 | 30 vs. 1,982 | 1,952 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 21st | +279 | 168 vs. 5,210 | 5,042 |
| Free Throws Made | 26th | 9th | 17 | 5,896 vs. 7,240 | 1,344 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 15th | 18th | 3 | 8,468 vs. 8,239 | 229 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 11th | 5th | 6 | 1,392 vs. 1,522 | 130 |
| Seasons | 13th | 3rd | 10 | 19 vs. 21 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 134th | 202nd | 68 | 4 vs. 2 | 2 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 152nd | 61st | 91 | 5 vs. 20 | 15 |
| 50+ point games | 76th | 49th | 27 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 6th | 18th | 12 | 5,172 vs. 3,663 | 1,509 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 24th | 21 | 2,859 vs. 1,446 | 1,413 |
| Assists | 33rd | 105th | 72 | 764 vs. 360 | 404 |
| Steals | 48th | 55th | 7 | 168 vs. 149 | 19 |
| Blocks | 1st | 53rd | 52 | 568 vs. 129 | 439 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2nd | 83rd | 81 | 778 vs. 212 | 566 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 2,081 vs. 1,234 | 847 |
| Field Goals Made | 6th | 21st | 15 | 1,975 vs. 1,220 | 755 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 5th | 21st | 16 | 3,939 vs. 2,642 | 1,297 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 62nd | +238 | 5 vs. 149 | 144 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 63rd | +237 | 35 vs. 408 | 373 |
| Free Throws Made | 6th | 10th | 4 | 1,217 vs. 1,074 | 143 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 3rd | 14th | 11 | 1,766 vs. 1,204 | 562 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 54th | 51 | 251 vs. 145 | 106 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 17th | 14 | 18 vs. 15 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 13th | +300th | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 36th | 20th | 16 | 4 vs. 7 | 3 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 98th | 58th | 40 | 19.03 vs. 20.74 | 1.70 |
| Rebounds per game | 33rd | 180th | 147 | 10.84 vs. 7.55 | 3.29 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.04 vs. 2.40 | 0.64 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | +300th | 0.74 vs. 0.80 | 0.06 | |
| Blocks per game | 21st | 228th | 207 | 2.17 vs. 0.84 | 1.33 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 54th | +300th | +246 | 2.77 vs. 0.96 | 1.81 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 10th | 54th | 44 | 8.07 vs. 6.58 | 1.48 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 85th | 89th | 4 | 7.39 vs. 7.34 | 0.05 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 139th | 101st | 38 | 14.61 vs. 15.59 | 0.99 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 268th | +32 | 0.02 vs. 1.30 | 1.28 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 211st | +89 | 0.12 vs. 3.42 | 3.30 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 104th | 70th | 34 | 4.24 vs. 4.76 | 0.52 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 73rd | 106th | 33 | 6.08 vs. 5.41 | 0.67 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | Dirk Nowitzki | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 81st | 28th | 53 | 20.61 vs. 25.26 | 4.66 |
| Rebounds per game | 26th | 61st | 35 | 11.39 vs. 9.97 | 1.42 |
| Assists per game | +300th | +300th | 3.04 vs. 2.48 | 0.56 | |
| Steals per game | +300th | 276th | +24 | 0.67 vs. 1.03 | 0.36 |
| Blocks per game | 10th | 188th | 178 | 2.26 vs. 0.89 | 1.37 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 3.10 vs. 1.46 | 1.64 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 15th | 11th | 4 | 8.29 vs. 8.51 | 0.22 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 71st | 51st | 20 | 7.87 vs. 8.41 | 0.55 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 118th | 58th | 60 | 15.69 vs. 18.22 | 2.53 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.02 vs. 1.03 | 1.01 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 0.14 vs. 2.81 | 2.67 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 87th | 10th | 77 | 4.85 vs. 7.41 | 2.56 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 51st | 23rd | 28 | 7.04 vs. 8.30 | 1.27 |
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.