Karl Malone vs. Tom Sanders Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Sanders 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.

Tom Sanders

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Tom Sanders 8

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Tom Sanders 13

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Tom Sanders 11

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Tom Sanders 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Tom Sanders 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Tom Sanders 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Tom Sanders 1

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Tom Sanders 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Tom Sanders 6.3

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Tom Sanders 1.1

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Tom Sanders 8,766

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Tom Sanders 5,798

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Tom Sanders 1,026

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Tom Sanders 916

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Tom Sanders .428

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Tom Sanders .767

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Tom Sanders - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Tom Sanders 8.8

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Tom Sanders 5.8

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Tom Sanders 1.0

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Tom Sanders 1,142

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Tom Sanders 760

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Tom Sanders 127

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Tom Sanders 130

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Tom Sanders .436

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Tom Sanders .716

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) 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.