Wilt Chamberlain vs. Karl Malone: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Wilt Chamberlain and Karl Malone 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 Karl Malone, with 19 seasons played from 1986 to 2004, 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. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | |
| Points | 7th | 3rd | 21st | 8th |
| Rebounds | 1st | 7th | 2nd | 7th |
| Assists | 86th | 63rd | 38th | 45th |
| Steals | n/a | 12th | n/a | 17th |
| Blocks | n/a | 74th | n/a | 50th |
| Years | 14 | 19 | 13 | 19 |
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Karl Malone | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | |
| Points | 2nd | 15th | 50th | 33rd |
| Rebounds | 1st | 51st | 2nd | 38th |
| Assists | 180th | +300th | 164th | +300th |
| Steals | n/a | 107th | n/a | 118th |
| Blocks | n/a | 255th | n/a | 299th |
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 | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 7th | 3rd | 4 | 31,419 vs. 36,928 | 5,509 |
| Rebounds | 1st | 7th | 6 | 23,924 vs. 14,968 | 8,956 |
| Assists | 86th | 63rd | 23 | 4,643 vs. 5,248 | 605 |
| Steals | n/a | 12th | 0 vs. 2,085 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 74th | 0 vs. 1,145 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 14th | 0 vs. 3,562 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 2nd | 0 vs. 11,406 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 3rd | 1 | 12,681 vs. 13,528 | 847 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 9th | 3rd | 6 | 23,497 vs. 26,210 | 2,713 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 85 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 310 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 21st | 1st | 20 | 6,057 vs. 9,787 | 3,730 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 1st | 1 | 11,862 vs. 13,188 | 1,326 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 124th | 7th | 117 | 1,045 vs. 1,476 | 431 |
| Seasons | 194th | 12th | 182 | 14 vs. 19 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 9th | 134th | 125 | 78 vs. 4 | 74 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 1st | 29th | 28 | 271 vs. 44 | 227 |
| 50+ point games | 1st | 29th | 28 | 118 vs. 4 | 114 |
| 60+ point games | 1st | 11th | 10 | 32 vs. 1 | 31 |
| 70+ point games | 1st | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 21st | 8th | 13 | 3,607 vs. 4,761 | 1,154 |
| Rebounds | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 3,913 vs. 2,062 | 1,851 |
| Assists | 38th | 45th | 7 | 673 vs. 610 | 63 |
| Steals | n/a | 17th | 0 vs. 258 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 50th | 0 vs. 135 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 10th | 0 vs. 502 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 4th | 0 vs. 1,560 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 7th | 8 | 1,425 vs. 1,743 | 318 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 19th | 6th | 13 | 2,728 vs. 3,768 | 1,040 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 6 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 37 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 23rd | 4th | 19 | 757 vs. 1,269 | 512 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 5th | 1 | 1,627 vs. 1,725 | 98 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 38th | 12th | 26 | 160 vs. 193 | 33 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 1st | 44 | 13 vs. 19 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 10th | +300th | 9 vs. 0 | 9 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 6th | 36th | 30 | 13 vs. 4 | 9 |
| 50+ point games | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 4 vs. 1 | 3 |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 2nd | 15th | 13 | 30.07 vs. 25.02 | 5.05 |
| Rebounds per game | 1st | 51st | 50 | 22.89 vs. 10.14 | 12.75 |
| Assists per game | 180th | +300th | +120 | 4.44 vs. 3.56 | 0.89 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 107th | 0.00 vs. 1.41 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 255th | 0.00 vs. 0.78 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 112nd | 0.00 vs. 2.41 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 20th | 0.00 vs. 7.73 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 16th | 15 | 12.13 vs. 9.17 | 2.97 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 3rd | 36th | 33 | 22.49 vs. 17.76 | 4.73 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.06 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.21 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 26th | 14th | 12 | 5.80 vs. 6.63 | 0.83 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 6th | 5 | 11.35 vs. 8.93 | 2.42 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 50th | 33rd | 17 | 22.54 vs. 24.67 | 2.12 |
| Rebounds per game | 2nd | 38th | 36 | 24.46 vs. 10.68 | 13.77 |
| Assists per game | 164th | +300th | +136 | 4.21 vs. 3.16 | 1.05 |
| Steals per game | n/a | 118th | 0.00 vs. 1.34 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 299th | 0.00 vs. 0.70 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 98th | 0.00 vs. 2.60 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 18th | 0.00 vs. 8.08 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 36th | 33rd | 3 | 8.91 vs. 9.03 | 0.12 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 78th | 37th | 41 | 17.05 vs. 19.52 | 2.47 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.03 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.19 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 95th | 17th | 78 | 4.73 vs. 6.58 | 1.84 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 14th | 8 | 10.17 vs. 8.94 | 1.23 |
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.