Karl Malone vs. Gary Payton Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone 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

Karl Malone

vs.

Gary Payton

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Gary Payton: 1990-91 to 2006-07

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Gary Payton 1

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Gary Payton 17

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Gary Payton 15

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Gary Payton 9

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Gary Payton 0

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Gary Payton 2

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Gary Payton 9

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Gary Payton 9

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Gary Payton 9

Defensive Player of The Year Karl Malone 0 Gary Payton 1

Steals Leader Karl Malone 0 Gary Payton 1

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Gary Payton 16.3

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Gary Payton 3.9

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Gary Payton 6.7

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Gary Payton 1.8

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Gary Payton 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Gary Payton 21,813

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Gary Payton 5,269

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Gary Payton 8,966

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Gary Payton 2,445

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Gary Payton 285

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Gary Payton 1,335

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Gary Payton .466

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Gary Payton .317

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Gary Payton .729

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Gary Payton 24.2 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Gary Payton 6.5 (2000)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Gary Payton 9.0 (2002)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Gary Payton 2.9 (1996)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Gary Payton 0.3 (2001)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Gary Payton 14.0

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Gary Payton 3.7

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Gary Payton 5.3

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Gary Payton 1.4

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Gary Payton 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Gary Payton 2,155

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Gary Payton 575

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Gary Payton 811

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Gary Payton 216

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Gary Payton 32

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Gary Payton 154

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Gary Payton .441

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Gary Payton .315

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Gary Payton .706

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Gary Payton 25.8 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Gary Payton 8.6 (2002)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Gary Payton 8.7 (2003)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Gary Payton 2.2 (1997)

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) Gary Payton 0.4 (2002)