David Robinson
1989–90 to 2002–03 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
David Robinson vs. George Mikan: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
David Robinson ranks higher in career impact
George Mikan
1950–51 to 1955–56 · 5 seasons
Impact comparison
#6LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#122
+11.8LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.9
+9.3LeadsBest 5 average impact+2.5
1.0LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better3.0
4LeadsSeasons ranked No. 10
+6,085 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,218 pts
Career Impact Rank places David Robinson #6 and George Mikan #122. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedDavid Robinson1.540 · No. 6George Mikan16.620 · No. 122
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
David Robinson
1.540 composite · No. 6 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11991–92Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11993–94Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.000 | 50% | 0.500 |
| Best 5No. 11991–92Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11993–94Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21995–96Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.200 | 30% | 0.360 |
| Best 10No. 11991–92Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11993–94Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21995–96Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41989–90Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41990–91Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61992–93Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.400 | 20% | 0.680 |
0.500 + 0.360 + 0.680= 1.540
George Mikan
16.620 composite · No. 122 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 21951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 41952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.000 | 50% | 1.500 |
| Best 5No. 21951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 41952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 13.800 | 30% | 4.140 |
| Best 10No. 21951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 41952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate5 open slots × No. 96 | 54.900 | 20% | 10.980 |
1.500 + 4.140 + 10.980= 16.620
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 96, this player's stored replacement finish.
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #6Better result for this metric. | #122 |
| Best 3 average finish | 1.0Better result for this metric. | 3.0 |
| Best 5 average finish | 1.2Better result for this metric. | 13.8 |
| Best 10 average finish | 3.4Better result for this metric. | 54.9 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #22Better result for this metric. | #368 |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +11.8Better result for this metric. | +3.9 |
| Best 3 average impact | +10.0Better result for this metric. | +3.7 |
| Best 5 average impact | +9.3Better result for this metric. | +2.5 |
| Best 10 average impact | +8.0 | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +6,085 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +1,218 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 4Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 8Better result for this metric. | 3 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 10Better result for this metric. | 4 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 987 | 311 |
| Minutes | 34,271 | 11,763 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 58.3%Better result for this metric. | 47.9% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 58.6% | Unavailable |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 51.8%Better result for this metric. | 40.0% |
| Three-point percentage | 25.0% | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 73.6% | 78.5%Better result for this metric. |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 13.4% | Unavailable |
| Assists per game | 2.5 | 2.7Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.2% | Unavailable |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 17.5% | Unavailable |
| Rebounds per game | 10.6 | 13.4Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.1% | Unavailable |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 5.9% | Unavailable |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | David Robinson | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 21.1 | 21.2Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Regular Season Impact
David Robinson ranks higher in career impact.
David RobinsonMetricGeorge Mikan
#6LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#122
+11.8LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.9
+9.3LeadsBest 5 average impact+2.5
+6,085 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,218 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
David Robinson leads every available measure below.
David RobinsonMetricGeorge Mikan
725LeadsListed-team regular-season wins211
65.0%LeadsListed-team winning percentage60.6%
10Leads50-win team seasons0
2Leads60-win team seasons0
13LeadsPlayoff team seasons5
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
The advantages are split across the available measures.
David RobinsonMetricGeorge Mikan
12LeadsPlayoff appearances5
123LeadsPlayoff games48
74LeadsTeam playoff wins29
2Finals appearances3Leads
2Championships3Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
David Robinson leads every available measure below.
David RobinsonMetricGeorge Mikan
10LeadsAll-Star4
1LeadsMVP0
10LeadsAll-NBA4
8LeadsAll-Defense0
1LeadsDPOY0
1LeadsRookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
David RobinsonGeorge MikanPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
David RobinsonNBA seasonGeorge Mikan
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
No season
Season 7
No season
Season 8
No season
Season 9
No season
1998–99Age 33 · +6.4 · No. 4Season 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
Season 10No season
Season 11
No season
Season 12
No season
Season 13
No season
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.