Sam Bowie vs. Bob Lanier Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bob Lanier and Sam Bowie, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

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.

Sam Bowie played 10 years in the NBA, 4 less than Bob Lanier, who played 14. Sam Bowie had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, while Bob Lanier had his rookie season in 1970-71. 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.

Comparison Season by Season
Jump to season: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14
Rookie Season
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1984-85	1970-71
Team	Portland Trail Blazers	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	All-Rookie First Team	All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs	Trail Blazers Lost West Conf Semis	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	76	29.2	10.0	2.7	5.9	8.6	2.8	0.7	2.7	2.3	3.7	3.9	7.3	.537	0.0	0.0	-	2.1	3.0	.711
Bob Lanier	82	24.6	15.6	-	-	8.1	1.8	-	-	-	3.3	6.1	13.5	.455	-	-	-	3.3	4.6	.726
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	9	28.8	7.3	1.8	6.7	8.4	2.3	0.4	2.3	1.3	4.0	2.9	6.6	.441	0.0	0.0	-	1.6	2.8	.560
Bob Lanier	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 2
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1985-86	1971-72
Team	Portland Trail Blazers	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	38	29.8	11.8	2.4	6.2	8.6	2.6	0.6	2.5	2.3	3.7	4.4	9.1	.484	0.0	0.0	-	3.0	4.2	.708
Bob Lanier	80	38.7	25.7	-	-	14.2	3.1	-	-	-	3.7	10.4	21.1	.493	-	-	-	4.9	6.3	.768
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 3
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1986-87	1972-73
Team	Portland Trail Blazers	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	5	32.6	16.0	2.8	3.8	6.6	1.8	0.2	2.0	3.0	3.8	6.0	13.2	.455	0.0	0.0	-	4.0	6.0	.667
Bob Lanier	81	38.9	23.8	-	-	14.9	3.2	-	-	-	3.4	10.0	20.4	.490	-	-	-	3.8	4.9	.773
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Note: Sam Bowie didn't play in 1987-88.

Season 4
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1988-89	1973-74
Team	Portland Trail Blazers	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
	-	All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs	Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Pistons Lost West Conf Semis

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	20	20.6	8.6	1.8	3.5	5.3	1.8	0.4	1.7	1.7	2.2	3.5	7.7	.451	0.3	0.4	.714	1.4	2.5	.571
Bob Lanier	81	37.6	22.5	3.3	9.9	13.3	4.2	1.4	3.0	-	3.4	9.2	18.3	.504	-	-	-	4.0	5.0	.797
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	3	22.3	10.3	3.3	3.3	6.7	1.0	0.0	2.3	1.0	2.7	4.0	9.3	.429	0.3	0.7	.500	2.0	2.7	.750
Bob Lanier	7	43.3	26.3	3.7	11.6	15.3	3.0	0.6	2.0	-	4.0	11.0	21.7	.507	-	-	-	4.3	5.4	.789

Season 5
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1989-90	1974-75
Team	New Jersey Nets	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Pistons Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	68	32.5	14.7	3.0	7.1	10.1	1.3	0.6	1.8	1.8	3.1	5.1	12.3	.416	0.1	0.5	.323	4.3	5.6	.776
Bob Lanier	76	39.3	24.0	3.0	9.1	12.0	4.6	1.0	2.3	-	3.1	9.6	18.9	.510	-	-	-	4.8	5.9	.802
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	3	42.7	20.3	1.7	9.0	10.7	6.3	1.3	4.0	-	3.3	8.7	17.0	.510	-	-	-	3.0	4.0	.750

Season 7
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1991-92	1976-77
Team	New Jersey Nets	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Nets Lost East Conf 1st Rd	Pistons Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	71	30.7	15.0	2.9	5.3	8.1	2.6	0.6	1.7	2.1	3.0	5.9	13.3	.445	0.1	0.4	.320	3.0	3.9	.757
Bob Lanier	64	38.2	25.3	3.1	8.5	11.6	3.3	1.1	2.0	-	2.7	10.6	19.8	.534	-	-	-	4.1	5.0	.818
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	4	28.0	9.3	2.0	2.8	4.8	2.3	0.8	0.8	1.3	4.8	3.5	8.3	.424	0.3	0.5	.500	2.0	3.0	.667
Bob Lanier	3	39.3	28.0	4.3	12.3	16.7	2.0	1.0	2.3	-	3.3	11.3	18.0	.630	-	-	-	5.3	6.3	.842

Season 8
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1992-93	1977-78
Team	New Jersey Nets	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Nets Lost East Conf 1st Rd	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	79	26.5	9.1	2.0	5.0	7.0	1.6	0.4	1.6	1.5	2.9	3.6	8.1	.450	0.0	0.1	.333	1.8	2.3	.779
Bob Lanier	63	36.7	24.5	3.1	8.2	11.3	3.4	1.3	1.5	3.6	2.9	9.9	18.4	.537	-	-	-	4.7	6.1	.772
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	3	23.7	3.3	0.7	3.3	4.0	0.7	2.0	0.3	1.3	3.0	1.3	3.0	.444	0.0	0.0	-	0.7	0.7	1.000
Bob Lanier	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 9
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	1993-94	1978-79
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	25	22.2	8.9	1.1	4.2	5.2	1.9	0.2	1.1	1.7	2.6	3.0	6.9	.436	0.0	0.2	.250	2.9	3.3	.867
Bob Lanier	53	34.6	23.6	3.1	6.2	9.3	2.6	0.9	1.4	3.3	3.4	9.2	17.9	.515	-	-	-	5.2	6.9	.749
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Season 12
	Sam Bowie	Bob Lanier
Season	-	1981-82
Team	-	Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	-	Bucks Lost East Conf Semis

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	74	26.8	13.5	1.2	4.0	5.2	3.0	1.0	0.8	2.2	2.9	5.5	9.9	.558	0.0	0.0	.000	2.5	3.3	.752
Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Bowie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bob Lanier	6	35.3	16.0	3.0	4.5	7.5	3.7	1.3	0.8	2.3	3.5	6.8	13.3	.513	0.0	0.2	.000	2.3	4.2	.560