Yao Ming vs. David Robinson: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Yao Ming and David Robinson all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
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 Yao Ming, with a career spanning 8 seasons from 2003 to 2011, and David Robinson, with 14 seasons played from 1990 to 2003, stand among the league's historical elite.

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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.

Yao Ming vs. David Robinson
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Yao Ming David Robinson Yao Ming David Robinson
Points
+300th
46th
+300th
55th
Rebounds
+300th
35th
+300th
31st
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
159th
Steals
+300th
67th
+300th
53rd
Blocks
121st
6th
223rd
5th
Years814412

Yao Ming vs. David Robinson
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Yao Ming David Robinson Yao Ming David Robinson
Points
99th
51st
95th
151st
Rebounds
86th
38th
84th
41st
Assists
+300th
+300th
+300th
+300th
Steals
+300th
107th
+300th
159th
Blocks
30th
4th
67th
6th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
+300th
46th
+254 9,247 vs. 20,79011,543
Rebounds
+300th
35th
+265 4,494 vs. 10,4976,003
Assists
+300th
+300th
769 vs. 2,4411,672
Steals
+300th
67th
+233 189 vs. 1,3881,199
Blocks
121st
6th
115 920 vs. 2,9542,034
Offensive Rebounds
+300th
29th
+271 1,233 vs. 3,0831,850
Defensive Rebounds
264th
24th
240 3,261 vs. 7,4144,153
Field Goals Made
+300th
61st
+239 3,380 vs. 7,3653,985
Field Goals Attempted
+300th
93rd
+207 6,445 vs. 14,2217,776
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
2 vs. 2523
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
10 vs. 10090
Free Throws Made
265th
23rd
242 2,485 vs. 6,0353,550
Free Throws Attempted
+300th
19th
+281 2,984 vs. 8,2015,217

Games and Years:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
164th
+136 486 vs. 987501
Seasons
+300th
194th
+106 8 vs. 146

Rankings by Points Scored:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
278th
55th
223 2 vs. 2220
50+ point games
-
42nd
0 vs. 33
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
2nd
0 vs. 11

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
+300th
55th
+245 555 vs. 2,2211,666
Rebounds
+300th
31st
+269 261 vs. 1,3011,040
Assists
+300th
159th
+141 29 vs. 280251
Steals
+300th
53rd
+247 9 vs. 151142
Blocks
223rd
5th
218 42 vs. 312270
Offensive Rebounds
+300th
21st
+279 76 vs. 367291
Defensive Rebounds
+300th
22nd
+278 185 vs. 934749
Field Goals Made
+300th
63rd
+237 195 vs. 768573
Field Goals Attempted
+300th
71st
+229 376 vs. 1,6041,228
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
0 vs. 11
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
+300th
0 vs. 1010
Free Throws Made
300th
34th
266 165 vs. 684519
Free Throws Attempted
+300th
26th
+274 198 vs. 966768

Games and Years:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
100th
+200 28 vs. 12395
Playoffs
+300th
76th
+224 4 vs. 128

Rankings by Points Scored:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
-
78th
0 vs. 11
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
99th
51st
48 19.03 vs. 21.062.04
Rebounds per game
86th
38th
48 9.25 vs. 10.641.39
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
1.58 vs. 2.470.89
Steals per game
+300th
107th
+193 0.39 vs. 1.411.02
Blocks per game
30th
4th
26 1.89 vs. 2.991.10
Offensive Rebounds per game
89th
24th
65 2.54 vs. 3.120.59
Defensive Rebounds per game
49th
28th
21 6.71 vs. 7.510.80
Field Goals Made per game
127th
79th
48 6.95 vs. 7.460.51
Field Goals Attempted per game
226th
160th
66 13.26 vs. 14.411.15
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.030.02
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
0.02 vs. 0.100.08
Free Throws Made per game
48th
21st
27 5.11 vs. 6.111.00
Free Throws Attempted per game
69th
17th
52 6.14 vs. 8.312.17

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Yao Ming David Robinson Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
95th
151st
56 19.82 vs. 18.061.76
Rebounds per game
84th
41st
43 9.32 vs. 10.581.26
Assists per game
+300th
+300th
1.04 vs. 2.281.24
Steals per game
+300th
159th
+141 0.32 vs. 1.230.91
Blocks per game
67th
6th
61 1.50 vs. 2.541.04
Offensive Rebounds per game
84th
52nd
32 2.71 vs. 2.980.27
Defensive Rebounds per game
59th
28th
31 6.61 vs. 7.590.99
Field Goals Made per game
131st
185th
54 6.96 vs. 6.240.72
Field Goals Attempted per game
212nd
236th
24 13.43 vs. 13.040.39
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.010.01
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
0.00 vs. 0.080.08
Free Throws Made per game
37th
53rd
16 5.89 vs. 5.560.33
Free Throws Attempted per game
48th
31st
17 7.07 vs. 7.850.78

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.