Nate McMillan vs. Arvydas Sabonis Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Arvydas Sabonis and Nate McMillan, 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 / Games against each other

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.

Nate McMillan played 12 years in the NBA, 5 more than Arvydas Sabonis, who played 7. Nate McMillan had the first of his seasons in 1986-87, while Arvydas Sabonis had his rookie season in 1995-96. 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
Nate McMillan 12 11 1986-87 to 1997-98
Arvydas Sabonis 7 7 1995-96 to 2002-03

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1986-871995-96
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf FinalsTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 71 27.8 5.3 1.4 3.2 4.7 8.2 1.8 0.6 2.2 3.4 2.0 4.2 .475 0.0 0.1 .000 1.2 2.0 .617
Arvydas Sabonis 73 23.8 14.5 2.0 6.0 8.1 1.8 0.9 1.1 2.1 2.9 5.4 9.9 .545 0.5 1.4 .375 3.2 4.2 .757
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 14 25.4 5.1 0.9 2.9 3.9 8.0 1.0 0.7 1.9 3.0 1.9 4.4 .435 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.7 .708
Arvydas Sabonis 5 35.4 23.6 2.4 7.8 10.2 1.8 0.8 0.6 2.0 3.4 7.0 16.2 .432 1.0 1.8 .556 8.6 12.0 .717

Season 2

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1987-881996-97
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 82 29.9 7.6 1.4 2.7 4.1 8.6 2.1 0.6 2.3 2.9 2.9 6.0 .474 0.1 0.3 .375 1.8 2.5 .707
Arvydas Sabonis 69 25.5 13.4 1.7 6.3 7.9 2.1 0.9 1.2 2.2 2.9 4.8 9.5 .498 0.7 1.9 .371 3.2 4.2 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 5 25.4 6.6 1.2 3.0 4.2 6.6 0.4 0.6 1.6 2.2 2.4 7.0 .343 0.0 0.2 .000 1.8 2.8 .643
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 11.3 2.0 4.5 6.5 2.3 0.8 0.8 2.3 4.8 4.5 10.5 .429 0.5 2.0 .250 1.8 2.0 .875

Season 3

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1988-891997-98
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf SemisTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 75 31.2 7.1 1.9 3.3 5.2 9.3 2.1 0.6 2.8 3.1 2.7 6.5 .410 0.2 0.9 .214 1.6 2.5 .630
Arvydas Sabonis 73 32.0 16.0 2.0 7.9 10.0 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.6 3.7 5.6 11.3 .493 0.4 1.6 .261 4.4 5.5 .798
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 8 25.0 6.8 1.1 2.0 3.1 7.9 1.3 0.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 5.0 .475 0.0 0.3 .000 2.0 3.1 .640
Arvydas Sabonis 4 26.8 12.3 1.8 6.0 7.8 1.5 1.8 0.8 2.5 4.8 4.5 10.0 .450 0.3 0.5 .500 3.0 3.5 .857

Season 4

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1989-901998-99
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 82 28.5 6.4 1.5 3.4 4.9 7.3 1.7 0.5 2.3 3.5 2.5 5.3 .473 0.1 0.4 .355 1.2 1.9 .641
Arvydas Sabonis 50 27.0 12.1 1.8 6.1 7.9 2.4 0.7 1.3 1.7 2.9 4.6 9.6 .485 0.1 0.5 .292 2.7 3.5 .771
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan ------- --- ----------
Arvydas Sabonis 13 30.1 10.0 0.9 7.8 8.8 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 2.7 3.5 8.7 .398 0.1 0.4 .200 3.0 3.3 .907

Season 5

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1990-911999-00
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 78 18.4 4.3 0.9 2.3 3.2 4.8 1.3 0.3 1.6 2.7 1.7 3.9 .433 0.2 0.6 .354 0.7 1.2 .613
Arvydas Sabonis 66 25.6 11.8 1.5 6.3 7.8 1.8 0.7 1.2 1.5 2.8 4.6 9.1 .505 0.1 0.3 .368 2.5 3.0 .843
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 5 19.0 2.8 1.2 2.4 3.6 4.4 1.2 0.2 0.6 3.0 1.2 4.6 .261 0.0 0.4 .000 0.4 0.8 .500
Arvydas Sabonis 16 30.8 11.3 1.2 5.5 6.7 1.9 0.9 0.8 1.6 3.7 4.3 9.4 .453 0.4 1.3 .286 2.4 3.1 .796

Season 6

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1991-922000-01
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf SemisTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 72 22.9 6.0 1.3 2.2 3.5 5.0 1.8 0.4 1.6 3.0 2.5 5.6 .437 0.4 1.4 .276 0.8 1.2 .643
Arvydas Sabonis 61 21.3 10.1 0.8 4.6 5.4 1.5 0.7 1.0 1.4 2.2 4.0 8.5 .479 0.0 0.2 .067 2.0 2.6 .776
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 9 27.3 9.6 1.6 2.1 3.7 7.0 1.8 0.3 2.4 3.9 3.9 9.2 .422 0.7 2.9 .231 1.1 1.6 .714
Arvydas Sabonis 3 35.0 11.3 2.7 5.7 8.3 2.7 0.3 2.3 0.7 4.0 4.7 9.7 .483 0.0 0.7 .000 2.0 2.7 .750

Note: Arvydas Sabonis didn't play in 2001-02.

Season 7

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1992-932002-03
Team Seattle SupersonicsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf FinalsTrail Blazers 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 %
Nate McMillan 73 27.1 7.5 1.2 3.0 4.2 5.3 2.4 0.5 1.9 3.3 2.9 6.3 .464 0.3 0.9 .385 1.3 1.8 .709
Arvydas Sabonis 78 15.5 6.1 1.1 3.2 4.3 1.8 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.8 2.2 4.6 .476 0.0 0.1 .500 1.7 2.1 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 19 21.8 4.8 1.1 2.4 3.5 5.4 2.1 0.6 1.3 2.8 1.8 5.4 .340 0.3 1.3 .208 0.8 1.6 .533
Arvydas Sabonis 6 14.5 10.0 1.0 3.0 4.0 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.0 2.3 4.0 6.0 .667 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.5 .800

Season 8

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1993-94-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Steals Leader-
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
Nate McMillan 73 25.8 6.0 0.7 3.2 3.9 5.3 3.0 0.3 1.7 2.8 2.4 5.4 .447 0.7 1.8 .391 0.4 0.8 .564
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 5 21.8 4.2 1.2 2.0 3.2 2.0 1.2 0.2 1.0 3.6 1.6 5.0 .320 0.8 2.2 .364 0.2 0.8 .250
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1994-95-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
Nate McMillan 80 25.9 5.2 0.8 3.0 3.8 5.3 2.1 0.7 1.6 3.4 2.1 5.0 .418 0.7 1.9 .342 0.4 0.7 .586
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 4 28.3 4.8 1.8 2.8 4.5 7.3 2.5 0.5 1.8 3.3 2.0 5.8 .348 0.3 2.0 .125 0.5 0.5 1.000
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1995-96-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 55 22.9 5.0 0.7 3.1 3.8 3.6 1.7 0.3 1.4 2.6 1.8 4.3 .420 0.8 2.2 .380 0.5 0.7 .707
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 19 20.3 4.4 0.7 3.0 3.7 2.7 1.2 0.3 1.1 1.8 1.5 3.6 .406 1.0 2.1 .475 0.5 0.7 .643
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1996-97-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
Nate McMillan 37 21.6 4.6 0.4 2.8 3.2 3.8 1.6 0.2 0.9 2.1 1.6 4.0 .409 0.8 2.3 .333 0.5 0.8 .655
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 3 13.3 0.0 0.3 1.3 1.7 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.7 3.7 0.0 0.7 .000 0.0 0.7 .000 0.0 0.0 -
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Nate McMillan Arvydas Sabonis
Season 1997-98-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics 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 %
Nate McMillan 18 15.5 3.4 0.7 1.5 2.2 3.1 0.8 0.2 0.7 2.3 1.3 3.7 .343 0.8 1.9 .441 0.1 0.1 1.000
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate McMillan 7 14.1 2.3 0.3 2.0 2.3 2.1 0.4 0.3 0.3 2.4 0.9 2.6 .333 0.3 1.7 .167 0.3 0.3 1.000
Arvydas Sabonis ------- --- ----------