James Donaldson vs. George Mikan Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of George Mikan and James Donaldson, 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.

James Donaldson played 14 years in the NBA, 7 more than George Mikan, who played 7. James Donaldson had the first of his seasons in 1980-81, while George Mikan had his rookie season in 1948-49. 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
James Donaldson 14 9 1980-81 to 1994-95
George Mikan 7 7 1948-49 to 1955-56

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1980-811948-49
Team Seattle SupersonicsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
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 %
James Donaldson 68 14.4 5.3 1.6 3.0 4.5 0.6 0.1 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.9 3.5 .542 0.0 0.0 - 1.5 2.5 .594
George Mikan 60 - 28.3 - - - 3.6 - - - 4.3 9.7 23.4 .416 - - - 8.9 11.5 .772
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 10 - 30.3 - - - 2.1 - - - 4.4 10.3 22.7 .454 - - - 9.7 12.1 .802

Season 2

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1981-821949-50
Team Seattle SupersonicsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 82 20.9 8.1 1.7 4.3 6.0 0.6 0.3 1.7 1.4 2.3 3.1 5.1 .609 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.9 .629
George Mikan 68 - 27.4 - - - 2.9 - - - 4.4 9.5 23.5 .407 - - - 8.3 10.7 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 8 23.6 6.8 3.1 6.1 9.3 0.9 0.3 0.6 1.3 2.0 2.3 5.4 .419 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.0 .750
George Mikan 12 - 31.3 - - - 3.0 - - - 3.9 10.1 26.3 .383 - - - 11.2 14.2 .788

Season 3

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1982-831950-51
Team Seattle SupersonicsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf 1st RdLakers Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 82 21.8 8.9 1.6 4.5 6.1 1.2 0.2 1.2 1.6 2.1 3.5 6.0 .583 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.7 .688
George Mikan 68 - 28.4 - - 14.1 3.1 - - - 4.5 10.0 23.3 .428 - - - 8.5 10.5 .803
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 2 23.5 12.0 2.5 6.0 8.5 1.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 2.0 5.5 11.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.5 .667
George Mikan 7 - 24.0 - - 10.6 1.3 - - - 3.6 8.9 21.7 .408 - - - 6.3 7.9 .800

Season 4

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1983-841951-52
Team San Diego ClippersMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
James Donaldson 82 30.8 11.8 2.0 5.9 7.9 1.1 0.5 1.7 2.1 2.6 4.4 7.4 .596 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 4.0 .761
George Mikan 64 40.2 23.8 - - 13.5 3.0 - - - 4.5 8.5 22.1 .385 - - - 6.8 8.7 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 13 42.5 23.6 - - 15.9 2.8 - - - 4.8 7.6 20.1 .379 - - - 8.4 10.6 .790

Season 5

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1984-851952-53
Team Los Angeles ClippersMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
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 %
James Donaldson 82 29.2 11.3 2.0 6.1 8.1 0.6 0.3 1.6 2.5 2.6 4.3 6.7 .637 0.0 0.0 - 2.8 3.7 .749
George Mikan 70 37.9 20.6 - - 14.4 2.9 - - - 4.1 7.1 17.9 .399 - - - 6.3 8.1 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 12 38.6 19.8 - - 15.4 1.9 - - - 4.7 6.5 17.8 .366 - - - 6.8 9.3 .732

Season 6

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1985-861953-54
Team Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas MavericksMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 83 32.3 8.6 2.1 7.5 9.6 1.2 0.3 1.7 1.5 2.3 3.1 5.5 .558 0.0 0.0 - 2.5 3.1 .803
George Mikan 72 32.8 18.1 - - 14.3 2.4 - - - 3.7 6.1 16.1 .380 - - - 5.9 7.6 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 10 41.0 10.9 3.0 8.7 11.7 1.0 0.6 1.2 1.0 2.6 3.6 4.8 .750 0.0 0.0 - 3.7 4.0 .925
George Mikan 13 32.6 19.4 - - 13.2 1.9 - - - 4.3 6.7 14.6 .458 - - - 6.0 7.4 .813

Note: George Mikan didn't play in 1954-55.

Season 7

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1986-871955-56
Team Dallas MavericksMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st RdLakers Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 82 36.9 10.8 3.6 8.3 11.9 0.8 0.6 1.7 1.3 2.3 3.8 6.5 .586 0.0 0.0 - 3.3 4.0 .812
George Mikan 37 20.7 10.5 - - 8.3 1.4 - - - 4.1 4.0 10.1 .395 - - - 2.5 3.3 .770
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 3 22.7 5.3 0.7 5.0 5.7 0.7 0.3 1.0 0.7 2.0 1.3 1.7 .800 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 3.0 .889
George Mikan 3 20.0 12.0 - - 9.3 1.7 - - - 4.7 4.3 11.7 .371 - - - 3.3 4.3 .769

Season 8

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1987-88-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Mavericks 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 %
James Donaldson 81 31.1 7.0 3.0 6.3 9.3 0.8 0.5 1.3 1.4 2.2 2.6 4.7 .558 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.3 .778
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 17 29.4 9.3 2.8 5.8 8.6 0.7 0.4 0.9 1.7 2.4 4.0 6.1 .654 0.0 0.0 - 1.3 2.2 .595
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 9

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1988-89-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
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 %
James Donaldson 53 32.9 9.1 3.0 7.8 10.8 0.7 0.5 1.5 1.6 2.1 3.6 6.4 .573 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.3 .766
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson ------- --- ----------
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 10

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1989-90-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Mavericks 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 %
James Donaldson 73 31.0 9.1 2.1 6.5 8.6 0.8 0.3 0.6 1.6 1.8 3.5 6.6 .539 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.9 .700
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 3 24.7 7.3 2.0 3.3 5.3 0.7 0.7 0.0 1.3 2.7 3.0 4.3 .692 0.0 0.0 - 1.3 1.7 .800
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 11

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1990-91-
Team Dallas Mavericks-
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 %
James Donaldson 82 34.1 10.0 2.5 6.4 8.9 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.8 2.2 4.0 7.5 .532 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.8 .721
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson ------- --- ----------
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 12

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1991-92-
Team Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 58 18.5 4.9 1.7 3.3 5.0 0.6 0.1 0.8 0.8 1.8 1.9 4.2 .457 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.5 .709
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 2 5.5 2.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 13

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1992-93-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
James Donaldson 6 15.7 3.5 1.0 3.8 4.8 0.2 0.2 1.2 0.7 2.2 1.3 2.3 .571 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.5 .556
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 1 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 .000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Note: James Donaldson didn't play in 1993-94.

Season 14

James Donaldson George Mikan
Season 1994-95-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
James Donaldson 43 14.3 2.6 0.4 2.0 2.5 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.5 1.5 1.0 1.7 .595 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.7 .710
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Donaldson 5 15.2 2.8 0.6 1.2 1.8 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.4 1.6 1.0 1.2 .833 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 0.8 1.000
George Mikan ------- --- ----------