Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Karl Malone: Lakers Rankings Comparison
Explore Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar career statistics with the Los Angeles Lakers and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone truly stack up based solely on their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.
Considering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 14 seasons (1976 to 1989) and Karl Malone's season (2004) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Lakers 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 franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Karl Malone: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | |
| Points | 3rd | +150th | 3rd | 69th |
| Rebounds | 2nd | +150th | 4th | 47th |
| Assists | 6th | +150th | 6th | 52nd |
| Steals | 6th | 133rd | 7th | 35th |
| Blocks | 1st | 150th | 1st | 92nd |
| Years | 14 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Karl Malone: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | |
| Points | 8th | 49th | 9th | 45th |
| Rebounds | 16th | 20th | 18th | 15th |
| Assists | 37th | 28th | 33rd | 27th |
| Steals | 60th | 26th | 44th | 26th |
| Blocks | 3rd | 65th | 2nd | 122nd |
The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
* Some years in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career don't have data for these stats.
Comparisons on this page: |
|
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Lakers Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | +150th | +147 | 24,176 vs. 554 | 23,622 |
| Rebounds | 2nd | +150th | +148 | 10,279 vs. 367 | 9,912 |
| Assists | 6th | +150th | +144 | 3,652 vs. 163 | 3,489 |
| Steals | 6th | 133rd | 127 | 983 vs. 50 | 933 |
| Blocks | 1st | 150th | 149 | 2,694 vs. 20 | 2,674 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1st | +150th | +149 | 2,494 vs. 61 | 2,433 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 1st | 103rd | 102 | 7,785 vs. 306 | 7,479 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | +150th | +148 | 9,935 vs. 193 | 9,742 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | +150th | +146 | 17,520 vs. 400 | 17,120 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +150th | +150th | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +150th | +150th | 18 vs. 1 | 17 | |
| Free Throws Made | 5th | 140th | 135 | 4,305 vs. 168 | 4,137 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 5th | 144th | 139 | 5,842 vs. 225 | 5,617 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 2nd | +150th | 1,093 vs. 42 | 1,051 | |
| Seasons | 2nd | +150th | 14 vs. 1 | 13 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 7th | - | 15 vs. 0 | 15 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Lakers Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 3rd | 69th | 66 | 4,070 vs. 242 | 3,828 |
| Rebounds | 4th | 47th | 43 | 1,525 vs. 185 | 1,340 |
| Assists | 6th | 52nd | 46 | 540 vs. 72 | 468 |
| Steals | 7th | 35th | 28 | 169 vs. 24 | 145 |
| Blocks | 1st | 92nd | 91 | 437 vs. 2 | 435 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2nd | 34th | 32 | 438 vs. 37 | 401 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 25th | 23 | 1,087 vs. 148 | 939 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 66th | 64 | 1,643 vs. 98 | 1,545 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 4th | 69th | 65 | 3,024 vs. 218 | 2,806 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +150th | +150th | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 82nd | 109th | 27 | 4 vs. 1 | 3 |
| Free Throws Made | 5th | 69th | 64 | 784 vs. 46 | 738 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 64th | 58 | 1,037 vs. 73 | 964 |
Games and Years: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 4th | 101st | 97 | 180 vs. 21 | 159 |
| Playoffs | 2nd | 148th | 146 | 13 vs. 1 | 12 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 5th | - | 6 vs. 0 | 6 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Lakers Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 8th | 49th | 41 | 22.12 vs. 13.19 | 8.93 |
| Rebounds per game | 16th | 20th | 4 | 9.40 vs. 8.74 | 0.67 |
| Assists per game | 37th | 28th | 9 | 3.34 vs. 3.88 | 0.54 |
| Steals per game | 60th | 26th | 34 | 0.90 vs. 1.19 | 0.29 |
| Blocks per game | 3rd | 65th | 62 | 2.46 vs. 0.48 | 1.99 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 58th | 39 | 2.28 vs. 1.45 | 0.83 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 7th | 5th | 2 | 7.12 vs. 7.29 | 0.16 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 6th | 64th | 58 | 9.09 vs. 4.60 | 4.49 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 9th | 67th | 58 | 16.03 vs. 9.52 | 6.51 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +150th | +150th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +150th | +150th | 0.02 vs. 0.02 | 0.00 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 19th | 17th | 2 | 3.94 vs. 4.00 | 0.06 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 16th | 15th | 1 | 5.34 vs. 5.36 | 0.01 |
Lakers Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Karl Malone | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 9th | 45th | 36 | 22.61 vs. 11.52 | 11.09 |
| Rebounds per game | 18th | 15th | 3 | 8.47 vs. 8.81 | 0.34 |
| Assists per game | 33rd | 27th | 6 | 3.00 vs. 3.43 | 0.43 |
| Steals per game | 44th | 26th | 18 | 0.94 vs. 1.14 | 0.20 |
| Blocks per game | 2nd | 122nd | 120 | 2.43 vs. 0.10 | 2.33 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 18th | 31st | 13 | 2.43 vs. 1.76 | 0.67 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | 6th | 6 | 6.04 vs. 7.05 | 1.01 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 7th | 39th | 32 | 9.13 vs. 4.67 | 4.46 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 10th | 45th | 35 | 16.80 vs. 10.38 | 6.42 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +150th | +150th | 0.00 vs. 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 115th | 111st | 4 | 0.03 vs. 0.05 | 0.02 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 15th | 51st | 36 | 4.36 vs. 2.19 | 2.17 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 13th | 40th | 27 | 5.76 vs. 3.48 | 2.28 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Lakers franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.