Wilt Chamberlain vs. Shaquille O'Neal: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Wilt Chamberlain 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?
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 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.
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 7th | 9th | 21st | 5th |
| Rebounds | 1st | 15th | 2nd | 5th |
| Assists | 86th | 237th | 38th | 53rd |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | 92nd |
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | n/a | 4th |
| Years | 14 | 19 | 13 | 17 |
Wilt Chamberlain vs. Shaquille O'Neal | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 2nd | 30th | 50th | 36th |
| Rebounds | 1st | 32nd | 2nd | 23rd |
| Assists | 180th | +300th | 164th | +300th |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | n/a | +300th |
| Blocks | n/a | 15th | n/a | 15th |
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 | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 7th | 9th | 2 | 31,419 vs. 28,596 | 2,823 |
| Rebounds | 1st | 15th | 14 | 23,924 vs. 13,099 | 10,825 |
| Assists | 86th | 237th | 151 | 4,643 vs. 3,026 | 1,617 |
| Steals | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 739 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 8th | 0 vs. 2,732 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 6th | 0 vs. 4,209 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 11th | 0 vs. 8,890 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 7th | 3 | 12,681 vs. 11,330 | 1,351 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 9th | 24th | 15 | 23,497 vs. 19,457 | 4,040 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 1 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 22 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 21st | 25th | 4 | 6,057 vs. 5,935 | 122 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 4th | 2 | 11,862 vs. 11,252 | 610 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 125th | 48th | 77 | 1,045 vs. 1,207 | 162 |
| Seasons | 194th | 13th | 181 | 14 vs. 19 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 9th | 204th | 195 | 78 vs. 2 | 76 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 1st | 22nd | 21 | 271 vs. 49 | 222 |
| 50+ point games | 1st | 42nd | 41 | 118 vs. 3 | 115 |
| 60+ point games | 1st | 11th | 10 | 32 vs. 1 | 31 |
| 70+ point games | 1st | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 21st | 5th | 16 | 3,607 vs. 5,250 | 1,643 |
| Rebounds | 2nd | 5th | 3 | 3,913 vs. 2,508 | 1,405 |
| Assists | 38th | 53rd | 15 | 673 vs. 582 | 91 |
| Steals | n/a | 92nd | 0 vs. 117 | ||
| Blocks | n/a | 4th | 0 vs. 459 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | n/a | 1st | 0 vs. 866 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | n/a | 3rd | 0 vs. 1,642 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 4th | 11 | 1,425 vs. 2,041 | 616 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 19th | 7th | 12 | 2,728 vs. 3,627 | 899 |
| 3-Pointers Made | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | n/a | +300th | 0 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 23rd | 8th | 15 | 757 vs. 1,168 | 411 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 2nd | 4 | 1,627 vs. 2,317 | 690 |
Games and Years: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 38th | 9th | 29 | 160 vs. 216 | 56 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 6th | 39 | 13 vs. 17 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 10th | +300th | 9 vs. 0 | 9 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 6th | 8th | 2 | 13 vs. 12 | 1 |
| 50+ point games | 2nd | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 2nd | 30th | 28 | 30.07 vs. 23.69 | 6.37 |
| Rebounds per game | 1st | 32nd | 31 | 22.89 vs. 10.85 | 12.04 |
| Assists per game | 180th | +300th | +120 | 4.44 vs. 2.51 | 1.94 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.61 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.26 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 10th | 0.00 vs. 3.49 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 31st | 0.00 vs. 7.37 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 11th | 10 | 12.13 vs. 9.39 | 2.75 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 3rd | 75th | 72 | 22.49 vs. 16.12 | 6.37 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.02 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 26th | 58th | 32 | 5.80 vs. 4.92 | 0.88 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 5th | 4 | 11.35 vs. 9.32 | 2.03 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Wilt Chamberlain | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 50th | 36th | 14 | 22.54 vs. 24.31 | 1.76 |
| Rebounds per game | 2nd | 23rd | 21 | 24.46 vs. 11.61 | 12.85 |
| Assists per game | 164th | +300th | +136 | 4.21 vs. 2.69 | 1.51 |
| Steals per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.54 | ||
| Blocks per game | n/a | 15th | 0.00 vs. 2.13 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 6th | 0.00 vs. 4.01 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | n/a | 27th | 0.00 vs. 7.60 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 36th | 22nd | 14 | 8.91 vs. 9.45 | 0.54 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 78th | 83rd | 5 | 17.05 vs. 16.79 | 0.26 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | n/a | +300th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 95th | 60th | 35 | 4.73 vs. 5.41 | 0.68 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 6th | 2nd | 4 | 10.17 vs. 10.73 | 0.56 |
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.