Billy Ray Bates vs. Kawhi Leonard Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Kawhi Leonard and Billy Ray Bates, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Billy Ray Bates played 4 years in the NBA, 8 less than Kawhi Leonard, who played 12. Billy Ray Bates had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Kawhi Leonard had his rookie season in 2011-12. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Billy Ray Bates 4 2 1979-80 to 1982-83
Kawhi Leonard 12 11 2011-12 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season 1979-802011-12
Team Portland Trail BlazersSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSpurs Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 16 14.7 11.3 0.8 1.0 1.8 1.9 0.9 0.1 1.3 1.6 4.5 9.1 .493 0.5 1.2 .421 1.8 2.4 .718
Kawhi Leonard 64 24.0 7.9 1.6 3.5 5.1 1.1 1.3 0.4 0.7 1.4 3.1 6.3 .493 0.6 1.7 .376 1.1 1.4 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 3 34.7 25.0 0.7 2.7 3.3 4.0 1.7 0.3 5.0 4.3 10.3 19.7 .525 0.7 2.3 .286 3.7 4.7 .786
Kawhi Leonard 14 27.1 8.6 1.3 4.6 5.9 0.6 1.2 0.4 0.9 1.6 3.2 6.4 .500 1.3 2.9 .450 0.9 1.1 .813

Season 2

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season 1980-812012-13
Team Portland Trail BlazersSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdSpurs Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 77 20.3 13.8 0.9 1.1 2.0 2.5 1.1 0.1 1.9 1.6 5.7 11.7 .487 0.2 0.7 .259 2.2 2.6 .854
Kawhi Leonard 58 31.2 11.9 1.1 4.9 6.0 1.6 1.7 0.6 1.1 1.7 4.5 9.1 .494 1.1 3.0 .374 1.8 2.2 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 3 38.3 28.3 1.0 1.3 2.3 4.3 1.7 0.3 3.7 3.7 11.7 20.7 .565 0.3 0.3 1.000 4.7 5.7 .824
Kawhi Leonard 21 36.9 13.5 2.4 6.7 9.0 1.0 1.8 0.5 1.1 1.9 5.5 10.0 .545 1.1 2.8 .390 1.5 2.3 .633

Season 3

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season 1981-822013-14
Team Portland Trail BlazersSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 75 16.4 11.1 0.7 0.7 1.4 1.5 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.3 4.4 9.2 .473 0.2 0.5 .293 2.2 2.8 .787
Kawhi Leonard 66 29.1 12.8 1.2 5.1 6.2 2.0 1.7 0.8 1.2 1.9 5.1 9.8 .522 1.0 2.8 .379 1.5 1.9 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 23 32.0 14.3 1.3 5.4 6.7 1.7 1.7 0.6 1.3 2.9 5.3 10.4 .510 1.3 3.2 .419 2.3 3.1 .736

Season 4

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season 1982-832014-15
Team Washington Bullets, Los Angeles LakersSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Steals Leader
Playoffs Did Not PlaySpurs Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates 19 16.0 6.5 0.6 0.4 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.6 1.0 2.9 7.6 .379 0.1 0.3 .400 0.6 1.2 .500
Kawhi Leonard 64 31.8 16.5 1.3 5.9 7.2 2.5 2.3 0.8 1.5 2.0 6.2 12.8 .479 1.0 3.0 .349 3.2 3.9 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 7 35.7 20.3 1.9 5.6 7.4 2.6 1.1 0.6 2.1 2.6 7.4 15.6 .477 1.6 3.7 .423 3.9 5.0 .771

Season 5

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2015-16
Team -San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Spurs Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 72 33.1 21.2 1.3 5.5 6.8 2.6 1.8 1.0 1.5 1.8 7.7 15.1 .506 1.8 4.0 .443 4.1 4.6 .874
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 10 33.9 22.5 1.4 4.9 6.3 2.8 2.6 1.4 1.6 2.1 8.3 16.6 .500 1.7 3.9 .436 4.2 5.1 .824

Season 6

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2016-17
Team -San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Spurs Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 74 33.4 25.5 1.1 4.7 5.8 3.5 1.8 0.7 2.1 1.6 8.6 17.7 .485 2.0 5.2 .380 6.3 7.2 .880
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 12 35.8 27.7 1.6 6.2 7.8 4.6 1.7 0.5 2.2 1.8 8.8 16.8 .525 2.1 4.6 .455 7.9 8.5 .931

Season 7

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2017-18
Team -San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 9 23.3 16.2 0.7 4.0 4.7 2.3 2.0 1.0 1.8 1.0 5.8 12.3 .468 1.2 3.9 .314 3.4 4.2 .816
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2018-19
Team -Toronto Raptors
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 60 34.0 26.6 1.3 6.0 7.3 3.3 1.8 0.4 2.0 1.5 9.3 18.8 .496 1.9 5.0 .371 6.1 7.1 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 24 39.1 30.5 2.3 6.8 9.1 3.9 1.7 0.7 3.1 2.3 10.1 20.7 .490 2.3 6.0 .379 8.0 9.0 .884

Season 9

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2019-20
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 57 32.4 27.1 0.9 6.1 7.1 4.9 1.8 0.6 2.6 2.0 9.3 19.9 .470 2.2 5.7 .378 6.2 7.1 .886
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 13 39.3 28.2 1.8 7.5 9.3 5.5 2.3 0.8 2.5 2.2 10.1 20.6 .489 1.8 5.6 .329 6.2 7.2 .862

Season 10

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2020-21
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 52 34.1 24.8 1.1 5.4 6.5 5.2 1.6 0.4 2.0 1.6 8.9 17.5 .512 1.9 4.9 .398 5.0 5.7 .885
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 11 39.3 30.4 2.0 5.7 7.7 4.4 2.1 0.8 2.2 2.6 11.1 19.4 .573 2.2 5.5 .393 6.0 6.8 .880

Note: Kawhi Leonard didn't play in 2021-22.

Season 11

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2022-23
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 52 33.6 23.8 1.1 5.4 6.5 3.9 1.4 0.5 1.7 1.6 8.6 16.8 .512 2.0 4.8 .416 4.7 5.4 .871
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 2 40.0 34.5 1.5 5.0 6.5 6.0 2.0 0.5 3.0 2.5 12.0 22.0 .545 3.0 5.0 .600 7.5 8.5 .882

Season 12

Billy Ray Bates Kawhi Leonard
Season -2023-24
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 68 34.3 23.7 1.2 4.9 6.1 3.6 1.6 0.9 1.8 1.4 9.0 17.1 .525 2.1 4.9 .417 3.7 4.2 .885
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Billy Ray Bates ------- --- ----------
Kawhi Leonard 2 29.5 12.0 1.5 6.5 8.0 2.0 2.0 0.5 2.0 1.5 5.5 12.0 .458 0.0 2.5 .000 1.0 1.5 .667