Wilt Chamberlain vs. Hakeem Olajuwon: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Wilt Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon 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 Wilt Chamberlain, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1960 to 1973, and Hakeem Olajuwon, with 18 seasons played from 1985 to 2002, 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.
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Hakeem Olajuwon | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| Points | 7th | 14th | 21st | 16th |
| Rebounds | 1st | 14th | 2nd | 13th |
| Assists | 86th | 232nd | 38th | 73rd |
| Steals | n/a | 10th | n/a | 21st |
| Blocks | n/a | 1st | n/a | 3rd |
| Years | 14 | 18 | 13 | 15 |
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Hakeem Olajuwon | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| Points | 2nd | 46th | 50th | 22nd |
| Rebounds | 1st | 27th | 2nd | 27th |
| Assists | 180th | +300th | 164th | +300th |
| Steals | n/a | 35th | n/a | 37th |
| Blocks | n/a | 3rd | n/a | 1st |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
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: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 7th | 14th | 7 | 31,419 vs. 26,946 | 4,473 |
| Rebounds | 1st | 14th | 13 | 23,924 vs. 13,748 | 10,176 |
| Assists | 86th | 232nd | 146 | 4,643 vs. 3,058 | 1,585 |
| Steals | n/a | 10th | 0 vs. 2,162 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 1st | 0 vs. 3,830 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 9th | 0 vs. 4,034 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 8th | 0 vs. 9,714 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 11th | 7 | 12,681 vs. 10,749 | 1,932 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 9th | 17th | 8 | 23,497 vs. 20,991 | 2,506 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 25 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 124 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 21st | 29th | 8 | 6,057 vs. 5,423 | 634 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 28th | 26 | 11,862 vs. 7,621 | 4,241 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 126th | 39th | 87 | 1,045 vs. 1,238 | 193 |
| Seasons | 194th | 29th | 165 | 14 vs. 18 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 9th | 50th | 41 | 78 vs. 14 | 64 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 1st | 40th | 39 | 271 vs. 32 | 239 |
| 50+ point games | 1st | 50th | 49 | 118 vs. 2 | 116 |
| 60+ point games | 1st | - | 32 vs. 0 | 32 | |
| 70+ point games | 1st | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 21st | 16th | 5 | 3,607 vs. 3,755 | 148 |
| Rebounds | 2nd | 13th | 11 | 3,913 vs. 1,621 | 2,292 |
| Assists | 38th | 73rd | 35 | 673 vs. 458 | 215 |
| Steals | n/a | 21st | 0 vs. 245 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 3rd | 0 vs. 472 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 11th | 0 vs. 471 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 13th | 0 vs. 1,150 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 11th | 4 | 1,425 vs. 1,504 | 79 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 19th | 17th | 2 | 2,728 vs. 2,847 | 119 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 4 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 18 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 23rd | 26th | 3 | 757 vs. 743 | 14 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 21st | 15 | 1,627 vs. 1,034 | 593 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 38th | 54th | 16 | 160 vs. 145 | 15 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 17th | 28 | 13 vs. 15 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 10th | 38th | 28 | 9 vs. 1 | 8 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 6th | 9th | 3 | 13 vs. 11 | 2 |
| 50+ point games | 2nd | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 2nd | 46th | 44 | 30.07 vs. 21.77 | 8.30 |
| Rebounds per game | 1st | 27th | 26 | 22.89 vs. 11.11 | 11.79 |
| Assists per game | 180th | +300th | +120 | 4.44 vs. 2.47 | 1.97 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 35th | 0.00 vs. 1.75 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 3rd | 0.00 vs. 3.09 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 16th | 0.00 vs. 3.26 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 17th | 0.00 vs. 7.85 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 30th | 29 | 12.13 vs. 8.68 | 3.45 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 3rd | 51st | 48 | 22.49 vs. 16.96 | 5.53 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.02 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.10 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 26th | 93rd | 67 | 5.80 vs. 4.38 | 1.42 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 66th | 65 | 11.35 vs. 6.16 | 5.20 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 50th | 22nd | 28 | 22.54 vs. 25.90 | 3.35 |
| Rebounds per game | 2nd | 27th | 25 | 24.46 vs. 11.18 | 13.28 |
| Assists per game | 164th | +300th | +136 | 4.21 vs. 3.16 | 1.05 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 37th | 0.00 vs. 1.69 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 1st | 0.00 vs. 3.26 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 25th | 0.00 vs. 3.25 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 22nd | 0.00 vs. 7.93 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 36th | 8th | 28 | 8.91 vs. 10.37 | 1.47 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 78th | 34th | 44 | 17.05 vs. 19.63 | 2.58 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.12 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 95th | 73rd | 22 | 4.73 vs. 5.12 | 0.39 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 46th | 40 | 10.17 vs. 7.13 | 3.04 |
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.