Moses Malone vs. Nate Thurmond Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nate Thurmond and Moses 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.

Moses Malone played 19 years in the NBA, 5 more than Nate Thurmond, who played 14. Moses Malone had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Nate Thurmond had his rookie season in 1963-64. 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
Moses Malone 19 12 1976-77 to 1994-95
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77

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

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1976-771963-64
Team Buffalo Braves, Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Rockets Lost East Conf FinalsWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 82 30.6 13.2 5.3 7.7 13.1 1.1 0.8 2.2 - 3.4 4.7 9.9 .480 - - - 3.7 5.4 .693
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 12 43.2 18.8 7.0 9.9 16.9 0.6 1.1 1.8 - 3.5 6.8 13.5 .500 - - - 5.3 7.6 .692
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679

Season 2

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1977-781964-65
Team Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 59 35.7 19.4 6.4 8.6 15.0 0.5 0.8 1.3 3.7 3.0 7.0 14.0 .499 - - - 5.4 7.5 .718
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1978-791965-66
Team Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 82 41.3 24.8 7.2 10.5 17.6 1.8 1.0 1.5 4.0 2.7 8.7 16.2 .540 - - - 7.3 9.9 .739
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 2 39.0 24.5 12.5 8.0 20.5 1.0 0.5 4.0 4.0 2.5 9.0 20.5 .439 - - - 6.5 9.0 .722
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1979-801966-67
Team Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost East Conf SemisWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 82 38.3 25.8 7.0 7.5 14.5 1.8 1.0 1.3 3.7 2.6 9.5 18.9 .502 0.0 0.1 .000 6.9 9.5 .719
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 7 39.3 25.9 6.0 7.9 13.9 1.0 0.6 2.3 3.1 2.6 10.6 19.7 .536 0.0 0.1 .000 4.7 6.1 .767
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571

Season 5

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1980-811967-68
Team Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 80 40.6 27.8 5.9 8.8 14.8 1.8 1.0 1.9 3.9 2.8 10.1 19.3 .522 0.0 0.0 .333 7.6 10.1 .757
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 21 45.5 26.8 6.0 8.6 14.5 1.7 0.6 1.6 2.8 2.6 9.9 20.6 .479 0.0 0.1 .000 7.0 9.9 .712
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1981-821968-69
Team Houston RocketsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdWarriors 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 %
Moses Malone 81 42.0 31.1 6.9 7.8 14.7 1.8 0.9 1.5 3.6 2.6 11.7 22.5 .519 0.0 0.1 .000 7.8 10.2 .762
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 3 45.3 24.0 9.3 7.7 17.0 3.3 0.7 0.7 2.0 2.7 9.7 22.3 .433 0.0 0.0 - 4.7 5.0 .933
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588

Season 7

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1982-831969-70
Team Philadelphia 76ersSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 78 37.5 24.5 5.7 9.6 15.3 1.3 1.1 2.0 3.4 2.6 8.4 16.7 .501 0.0 0.0 .000 7.7 10.1 .761
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 13 40.3 26.0 5.4 10.5 15.8 1.5 1.5 1.9 3.1 3.1 9.7 18.1 .536 0.0 0.1 .000 6.6 9.2 .717
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1983-841970-71
Team Philadelphia 76ersSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdWarriors 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 %
Moses Malone 71 36.8 22.7 5.0 8.4 13.4 1.4 1.0 1.5 3.5 2.6 7.5 15.5 .483 0.0 0.1 .000 7.7 10.2 .750
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 5 42.4 21.4 4.0 9.8 13.8 1.4 0.6 2.2 4.2 3.0 7.6 16.6 .458 0.0 0.0 - 6.2 6.4 .969
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800

Season 9

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1984-851971-72
Team Philadelphia 76ersGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf FinalsWarriors 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 %
Moses Malone 79 37.4 24.6 4.9 8.2 13.1 1.6 0.8 1.6 3.6 2.7 7.6 16.3 .469 0.0 0.0 .000 9.3 11.4 .815
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 13 38.8 20.2 2.8 7.8 10.6 1.8 1.3 1.7 1.8 3.0 6.9 16.3 .425 0.0 0.1 .000 6.3 7.9 .796
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750

Season 10

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1985-861972-73
Team Philadelphia 76ersGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors 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 %
Moses Malone 74 36.6 23.8 4.6 7.2 11.8 1.2 0.9 1.0 3.5 2.6 7.7 16.8 .458 0.0 0.0 .000 8.3 10.6 .787
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800

Season 11

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1986-871973-74
Team Washington BulletsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 73 34.1 24.1 4.7 6.6 11.3 1.6 0.8 1.3 2.8 1.9 8.2 18.0 .454 0.0 0.2 .000 7.8 9.5 .824
Nate Thurmond 62 39.7 13.0 4.0 10.1 14.2 2.7 0.7 2.9 - 2.9 5.0 11.2 .444 - - - 3.1 4.6 .666
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 3 38.0 20.7 5.0 7.7 12.7 1.7 0.0 1.0 2.7 1.7 7.0 15.7 .447 0.0 0.0 - 6.7 7.0 .952
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1987-881974-75
Team Washington BulletsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf 1st RdBulls 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 %
Moses Malone 79 34.1 20.3 4.7 6.5 11.2 1.4 0.7 0.9 3.2 2.0 6.7 13.8 .487 0.0 0.1 .286 6.9 8.7 .788
Nate Thurmond 80 34.5 7.9 3.2 8.1 11.3 4.1 0.6 2.4 - 3.4 3.1 8.6 .364 - - - 1.7 2.8 .589
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 5 39.6 18.6 4.4 6.8 11.2 1.4 0.6 0.8 3.0 1.8 6.0 13.0 .462 0.0 0.2 .000 6.6 8.0 .825
Nate Thurmond 13 19.5 3.5 1.8 4.8 6.7 2.4 0.4 1.6 - 2.8 1.1 2.9 .368 - - - 1.4 2.8 .486

Season 13

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1988-891975-76
Team Atlanta HawksChicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdCavaliers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 81 35.5 20.2 4.8 7.0 11.8 1.4 1.0 1.2 3.0 1.9 6.6 13.5 .491 0.0 0.1 .000 6.9 8.8 .789
Nate Thurmond 78 17.9 4.4 1.5 3.8 5.3 1.2 0.3 1.3 - 2.1 1.8 4.3 .421 - - - 0.8 1.6 .504
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 5 39.4 21.0 5.4 6.6 12.0 1.8 1.4 0.8 2.2 1.0 6.4 12.8 .500 0.2 0.2 1.000 8.0 10.2 .784
Nate Thurmond 13 28.8 6.7 2.9 6.1 9.0 2.2 0.5 2.2 - 4.0 2.8 6.1 .468 - - - 1.0 2.5 .406

Season 14

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1989-901976-77
Team Atlanta HawksCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCavaliers 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 %
Moses Malone 81 33.8 18.9 4.5 5.5 10.0 1.6 0.6 1.0 2.9 2.0 6.4 13.3 .480 0.0 0.1 .111 6.1 7.8 .781
Nate Thurmond 49 20.3 5.5 2.5 5.2 7.6 1.7 0.3 1.7 - 2.6 2.0 5.0 .407 - - - 1.4 2.2 .642
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 - 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 15

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1990-91-
Team Atlanta Hawks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hawks 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 %
Moses Malone 82 23.3 10.6 3.3 4.8 8.1 0.8 0.4 0.9 1.7 1.6 3.4 7.3 .468 0.0 0.1 .000 3.8 4.5 .831
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone 5 16.8 4.2 3.2 3.0 6.2 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.8 4.0 .200 0.0 0.0 - 2.6 2.8 .929
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1991-92-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
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 %
Moses Malone 82 30.6 15.6 3.9 5.2 9.1 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.8 1.7 5.4 11.3 .474 0.0 0.1 .375 4.8 6.1 .786
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1992-93-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
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 %
Moses Malone 11 9.5 4.5 2.0 2.2 4.2 0.6 0.1 0.7 0.9 0.5 1.2 3.8 .310 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 2.8 .774
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1993-94-
Team Philadelphia 76ers-
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 %
Moses Malone 55 11.2 5.3 1.9 2.2 4.1 0.6 0.2 0.3 1.1 0.9 1.9 4.2 .440 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 2.1 .769
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 19

Moses Malone Nate Thurmond
Season 1994-95-
Team San Antonio Spurs-
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 %
Moses Malone 17 8.8 2.9 1.2 1.5 2.7 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.6 0.9 0.8 2.1 .371 0.1 0.1 .500 1.3 1.9 .688
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Moses Malone ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------