Cross-era · careers 1 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Kawhi Leonard

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Kawhi Leonard 2011-2025 · Forward · active

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Kawhi Leonard (2011-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 1 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shaquille O'Neal was the higher-volume scorer (23.7 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 2.03× their league average respectively; Kawhi Leonard was the more efficient scorer (67.2% true shooting to 58.6%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Kawhi Leonard's #27.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatKawhi Leonard
23.7 Points / game 20.7
10.8 Rebounds / game 6.4
2.5 Assists / game 3.1
0.6 Steals / game 1.7
2.3 Blocks / game 0.6
58.5% Field goal % 49.9%
2.2% 3-point % 38.9%
52.6% Free throw % 85.0%
58.6% True shooting % 67.2%
1,207 Games played 798

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatKawhi Leonard
2.48× Points vs era avg 2.03×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 1.55×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.36×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaquille O'NealStatKawhi Leonard
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 105.0
— Net rating 10.0
— Usage % 33.5%
— Assist % 21.0%
— Rebound % 11.5%

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatKawhi Leonard
24.3 Points / game 21.5
11.6 Rebounds / game 7.8
2.7 Assists / game 3.0
0.6 Steals / game 1.8
2.1 Blocks / game 0.7
56.3% Field goal % 51.3%
0.0% 3-point % 40.2%
49.8% Free throw % 80.2%
216 Playoff games 146

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatKawhi Leonard
1 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 2
4 Championships 2
12 All-Star selections 7
8 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#9 All-time GOAT rank #27

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.