Sam Bowie vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Sam Bowie 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

Sam Bowie

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Sam Bowie: 1984-85 to 1994-95
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Sam Bowie 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Sam Bowie 10 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Sam Bowie 5 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Sam Bowie 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Sam Bowie 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Sam Bowie 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Bowie 10.9 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Sam Bowie 7.5 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Sam Bowie 2.1 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Sam Bowie 0.5 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Sam Bowie 1.8 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Bowie 5,564 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Sam Bowie 3,845 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Sam Bowie 1,075 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Sam Bowie 263 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Sam Bowie 909 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Sam Bowie 511 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Bowie .452 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Sam Bowie .302 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Bowie .748 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Bowie 16.0 (1987) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Bowie 10.1 (1990) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Sam Bowie 2.8 (1985) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Sam Bowie 0.7 (1985) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Sam Bowie 2.7 (1985) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Bowie 5.7 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Sam Bowie 5.5 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Sam Bowie 1.3 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Sam Bowie 0.5 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Sam Bowie 1.4 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Bowie 165 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Sam Bowie 160 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Sam Bowie 38 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Sam Bowie 14 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Sam Bowie 41 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Sam Bowie 29 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Bowie .403 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Sam Bowie .500 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Bowie .673 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Bowie 10.3 (1989) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Bowie 8.4 (1985) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Sam Bowie 2.3 (1985) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Sam Bowie 2.0 (1993) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Sam Bowie 2.3 (1989) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.