Karl Malone vs. Royce O'Neale Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Royce O'Neale and Karl Malone, 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.

Karl Malone played 19 years in the NBA, 12 more than Royce O'Neale, who played 7. Karl Malone had the first of his seasons in 1985-86, while Royce O'Neale had his rookie season in 2017-18. 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
Karl Malone 19 19 1985-86 to 2003-04
Royce O'Neale 7 7 2017-18 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19

Rookie Season

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1985-862017-18
Team Utah JazzUtah Jazz
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdJazz 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 %
Karl Malone 81 30.6 14.9 2.1 6.7 8.9 2.9 1.3 0.5 3.4 3.6 6.2 12.5 .496 0.0 0.0 .000 2.4 5.0 .481
Royce O'Neale 69 16.7 5.0 0.4 3.1 3.4 1.4 0.5 0.2 0.8 1.5 1.7 4.1 .423 0.6 1.7 .356 0.9 1.1 .803
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 4 36.0 21.8 1.5 6.0 7.5 1.0 2.0 0.0 1.5 4.5 9.5 18.0 .528 0.0 0.0 - 2.8 6.5 .423
Royce O'Neale 11 23.5 7.1 0.3 3.2 3.5 1.4 0.9 0.4 1.5 2.7 2.5 5.1 .500 0.9 2.5 .357 1.1 1.7 .632

Season 2

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1986-872018-19
Team Utah JazzUtah Jazz
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdJazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 34.8 21.7 3.4 7.0 10.4 1.9 1.3 0.7 2.9 3.9 8.9 17.3 .512 0.0 0.1 .000 3.9 6.6 .598
Royce O'Neale 82 20.4 5.2 0.3 3.2 3.5 1.5 0.7 0.3 0.9 2.1 2.0 4.2 .475 0.8 2.1 .386 0.4 0.5 .762
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.0 20.0 3.0 6.6 9.6 1.2 2.2 0.8 3.4 4.0 7.4 17.6 .420 0.0 0.0 - 5.2 7.2 .722
Royce O'Neale 5 27.4 10.6 0.4 4.2 4.6 1.6 0.4 0.4 2.0 3.0 4.2 9.0 .467 1.6 4.6 .348 0.6 0.8 .750

Season 3

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1987-882019-20
Team Utah JazzUtah Jazz
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf SemisJazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 39.0 27.7 3.4 8.6 12.0 2.4 1.4 0.6 4.0 3.6 10.5 20.1 .520 0.0 0.1 .000 6.7 9.6 .700
Royce O'Neale 71 28.9 6.3 0.4 5.1 5.5 2.5 0.8 0.5 0.9 2.8 2.2 5.1 .433 1.3 3.4 .377 0.6 0.8 .764
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 11 44.9 29.7 3.0 8.8 11.8 1.5 1.2 0.6 3.5 3.2 11.2 23.2 .482 0.0 0.1 .000 7.4 10.2 .723
Royce O'Neale 7 35.6 5.6 0.4 5.0 5.4 2.7 1.3 0.3 1.9 3.6 1.9 4.6 .406 1.4 3.1 .455 0.4 0.9 .500

Season 4

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1988-892020-21
Team Utah JazzUtah Jazz
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdJazz 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 %
Karl Malone 80 39.1 29.1 3.2 7.4 10.7 2.7 1.8 0.9 3.6 3.6 10.1 19.5 .519 0.1 0.2 .313 8.8 11.5 .766
Royce O'Neale 71 31.6 7.0 1.2 5.6 6.8 2.5 0.8 0.5 1.2 2.6 2.5 5.5 .444 1.5 3.9 .385 0.5 0.6 .848
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 3 45.3 30.7 7.3 9.0 16.3 1.3 1.0 0.3 4.3 5.3 11.0 22.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 8.7 10.7 .813
Royce O'Neale 11 36.7 11.3 1.5 5.8 7.3 2.1 1.1 0.3 0.7 3.7 3.9 7.7 .506 2.5 5.5 .467 0.9 1.1 .833

Season 5

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1989-902021-22
Team Utah JazzUtah Jazz
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf 1st RdJazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 38.1 31.0 2.8 8.3 11.1 2.8 1.5 0.6 3.7 3.2 11.1 19.8 .562 0.2 0.5 .372 8.5 11.1 .762
Royce O'Neale 77 31.2 7.4 0.8 3.9 4.8 2.5 1.1 0.4 1.0 2.4 2.6 5.8 .457 1.5 4.0 .389 0.6 0.7 .804
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.6 25.2 3.2 7.0 10.2 2.2 2.2 1.0 2.4 4.4 9.2 21.0 .438 0.0 0.2 .000 6.8 9.0 .756
Royce O'Neale 6 31.3 6.2 1.0 4.7 5.7 1.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 2.7 2.3 5.8 .400 1.2 4.2 .280 0.3 0.3 1.000

Season 6

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1990-912022-23
Team Utah JazzBrooklyn Nets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf SemisNets Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 40.3 29.0 2.9 8.9 11.8 3.3 1.1 1.0 3.0 3.3 10.3 19.6 .527 0.0 0.2 .286 8.3 10.8 .770
Royce O'Neale 76 31.7 8.8 0.7 4.3 5.1 3.7 0.9 0.6 1.5 3.1 3.0 7.8 .386 2.1 5.5 .389 0.7 0.9 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 9 42.6 29.7 2.6 10.8 13.3 3.2 1.0 1.2 2.9 3.9 10.6 23.2 .455 0.0 0.9 .000 8.6 10.1 .846
Royce O'Neale 4 29.5 5.0 1.0 3.3 4.3 3.5 1.3 0.3 1.0 2.8 1.8 7.3 .241 1.0 5.5 .182 0.5 0.5 1.000

Season 7

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1991-922023-24
Team Utah JazzBrooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf FinalsSuns 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 %
Karl Malone 81 37.7 28.0 2.8 8.4 11.2 3.0 1.3 0.6 3.1 2.8 9.9 18.7 .526 0.0 0.2 .176 8.3 10.7 .778
Royce O'Neale 79 24.7 7.7 0.8 4.0 4.8 2.8 0.7 0.6 0.9 2.2 2.7 6.8 .397 2.0 5.3 .370 0.3 0.4 .686
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 16 43.0 29.1 2.7 8.6 11.3 2.6 1.4 1.2 2.9 3.6 9.3 17.8 .521 0.0 0.1 .000 10.6 13.1 .805
Royce O'Neale 4 26.0 5.0 1.3 3.5 4.8 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.5 2.8 1.8 5.5 .318 1.5 4.5 .333 0.0 0.0 -

Season 8

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1992-93-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
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 %
Karl Malone 82 37.8 27.0 2.8 8.4 11.2 3.8 1.5 1.0 2.9 3.2 9.7 17.6 .552 0.0 0.2 .200 7.5 10.2 .740
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 43.2 24.0 2.4 8.0 10.4 2.0 1.2 0.4 4.0 4.2 8.8 19.4 .454 0.2 0.4 .500 6.2 7.6 .816
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1993-94-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 40.6 25.2 2.9 8.6 11.5 4.0 1.5 1.5 2.9 3.3 9.4 18.9 .497 0.1 0.4 .250 6.2 9.0 .694
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 16 43.9 27.1 3.3 9.1 12.4 3.4 1.4 0.8 2.1 3.7 9.9 21.1 .467 0.0 0.3 .000 7.4 10.0 .738
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1994-95-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Karl Malone 82 38.1 26.7 1.9 8.7 10.6 3.5 1.6 1.0 2.9 3.3 10.1 18.9 .536 0.1 0.5 .268 6.3 8.5 .742
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 43.2 30.2 3.0 10.2 13.2 3.8 1.4 0.4 2.8 3.6 9.6 20.6 .466 0.2 0.6 .333 10.8 15.6 .692
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1995-96-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 38.0 25.7 2.1 7.7 9.8 4.2 1.7 0.7 2.4 3.0 9.6 18.5 .519 0.2 0.5 .400 6.2 8.6 .723
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 18 40.3 26.5 2.6 7.7 10.3 4.4 1.9 0.6 2.5 3.4 10.4 22.3 .469 0.0 0.2 .000 5.6 9.8 .574
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1996-97-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 82 36.6 27.4 2.4 7.5 9.9 4.5 1.4 0.6 2.8 2.6 10.5 19.2 .550 0.0 0.2 .000 6.4 8.4 .755
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 20 40.8 26.0 3.0 8.4 11.4 2.9 1.4 0.8 2.7 3.0 9.4 21.5 .435 0.1 0.1 .500 7.2 10.0 .720
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1997-98-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 81 37.4 27.0 2.3 8.0 10.3 3.9 1.2 0.9 3.0 2.9 9.6 18.2 .530 0.0 0.1 .333 7.8 10.2 .761
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 20 39.8 26.3 2.4 8.5 10.9 3.4 1.1 1.0 3.0 3.5 9.9 21.0 .471 0.0 0.2 .000 6.5 8.3 .788
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1998-99-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
Karl Malone 49 37.4 23.8 2.2 7.3 9.4 4.1 1.3 0.6 3.3 2.7 8.0 16.3 .493 0.0 0.0 .000 7.7 9.8 .788
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 11 41.0 21.8 3.3 8.0 11.3 4.7 1.2 0.7 3.6 3.4 7.8 18.7 .417 0.0 0.1 .000 6.2 7.8 .791
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 1999-00-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Jazz 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 %
Karl Malone 82 35.9 25.5 2.1 7.4 9.5 3.7 1.0 0.9 2.8 2.8 9.2 18.0 .509 0.0 0.1 .250 7.2 9.0 .797
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 10 38.6 27.2 1.9 7.0 8.9 3.1 0.7 0.7 2.7 3.1 10.3 19.8 .520 0.2 0.2 1.000 6.4 7.9 .810
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 2000-01-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Karl Malone 81 35.7 23.2 1.4 6.9 8.3 4.5 1.1 0.8 3.0 2.7 8.3 16.6 .498 0.0 0.1 .400 6.6 8.3 .793
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 40.0 27.6 1.8 7.0 8.8 3.4 1.0 0.8 3.8 2.6 9.8 24.2 .405 0.2 0.4 .500 7.8 9.8 .796
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 2001-02-
Team Utah Jazz-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Karl Malone 80 38.0 22.4 1.8 6.8 8.6 4.3 1.9 0.7 3.3 2.9 7.9 17.5 .454 0.1 0.3 .360 6.4 8.0 .797
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 4 40.8 20.0 0.8 6.8 7.5 4.5 1.3 0.8 2.8 2.8 7.5 18.3 .411 0.0 0.3 .000 5.0 7.0 .714
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 2002-03-
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 %
Karl Malone 81 36.2 20.6 1.4 6.4 7.8 4.7 1.7 0.4 2.6 2.5 7.3 15.9 .462 0.0 0.2 .214 5.9 7.7 .763
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 5 38.2 19.6 1.4 5.4 6.8 4.0 1.6 0.4 4.0 3.0 6.8 16.8 .405 0.0 0.2 .000 6.0 8.2 .732
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------

Season 19

Karl Malone Royce O'Neale
Season 2003-04-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 42 32.7 13.2 1.5 7.3 8.7 3.9 1.2 0.5 2.5 2.8 4.6 9.5 .483 0.0 0.0 .000 4.0 5.4 .747
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Karl Malone 21 38.0 11.5 1.8 7.0 8.8 3.4 1.1 0.1 2.2 3.1 4.7 10.4 .450 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 3.5 .630
Royce O'Neale ------- --- ----------