Gary Payton vs. Tom Sanders Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Sanders and Gary Payton that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Gary Payton

vs.

Tom Sanders

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Gary Payton: 1990-91 to 2006-07
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Gary Payton 1 Tom Sanders 8

NBA Seasons Gary Payton 17 Tom Sanders 13

Playoffs Played Gary Payton 15 Tom Sanders 11

All-Star Games Gary Payton 9 Tom Sanders 0

Honors and Awards

All-NBA First Team Gary Payton 2 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Gary Payton 9 Tom Sanders 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Gary Payton 9 Tom Sanders 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Gary Payton 9 Tom Sanders 1

Defensive Player of The Year Gary Payton 1 Tom Sanders 0 *

Steals Leader Gary Payton 1 Tom Sanders 0 *

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83. Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Gary Payton 16.3 Tom Sanders 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton 3.9 Tom Sanders 6.3

Assists Per Game Gary Payton 6.7 Tom Sanders 1.1

Steals Per Game Gary Payton 1.8 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton 0.2 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Gary Payton 21,813 Tom Sanders 8,766

Total Rebounds Gary Payton 5,269 Tom Sanders 5,798

Total Assists Gary Payton 8,966 Tom Sanders 1,026

Total Steals Gary Payton 2,445 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Gary Payton 285 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Gary Payton 1,335 Tom Sanders 916

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Gary Payton .466 Tom Sanders .428

3-Point Percentage Gary Payton .317 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Gary Payton .729 Tom Sanders .767

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Gary Payton 24.2 (2000) Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton 6.5 (2000) Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962)

Assists Per Game Gary Payton 9.0 (2002) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970)

Steals Per Game Gary Payton 2.9 (1996) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton 0.3 (2001) Tom Sanders - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Gary Payton 14.0 Tom Sanders 8.8

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton 3.7 Tom Sanders 5.8

Assists Per Game Gary Payton 5.3 Tom Sanders 1.0

Steals Per Game Gary Payton 1.4 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton 0.2 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Gary Payton 2,155 Tom Sanders 1,142

Total Rebounds Gary Payton 575 Tom Sanders 760

Total Assists Gary Payton 811 Tom Sanders 127

Total Steals Gary Payton 216 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Gary Payton 32 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Gary Payton 154 Tom Sanders 130

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Gary Payton .441 Tom Sanders .436

3-Point Percentage Gary Payton .315 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Gary Payton .706 Tom Sanders .716

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Gary Payton 25.8 (2000) Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton 8.6 (2002) Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965)

Assists Per Game Gary Payton 8.7 (2003) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966)

Steals Per Game Gary Payton 2.2 (1997) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton 0.4 (2002) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.