Tim Duncan
1997–98 to 2015–16 · 19 seasons
NBA player comparison
Who was better: Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal?
Regular-season verdict
Shaquille O'Neal ranks higher in career impact
Shaquille O'Neal
1992–93 to 2010–11 · 19 seasons
Impact comparison
#30Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#15Leads
+7.7Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.7Leads
+7.0Best 5 average impact+7.9Leads
3.3Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better1.3Leads
0Seasons ranked No. 12Leads
+6,394 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+5,683 pts
Career Impact Rank places Shaquille O'Neal #15 and Tim Duncan #30. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Tim Duncan had more total career value.
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 calculatedTim Duncan4.067 · No. 30Shaquille O'Neal2.267 · No. 15
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.
Tim Duncan
4.067 composite · No. 30 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 22003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.333 | 50% | 1.667 |
| Best 5No. 22003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 52001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 4.200 | 30% | 1.260 |
| Best 10No. 22003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 52001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.700 | 20% | 1.140 |
1.667 + 1.260 + 1.140= 4.067
Shaquille O'Neal
2.267 composite · No. 15 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.333 | 50% | 0.667 |
| Best 5No. 11999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41996–97Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.400 | 30% | 0.720 |
| Best 10No. 11999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41996–97Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51993–94Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 92003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 4.400 | 20% | 0.880 |
0.667 + 0.720 + 0.880= 2.267
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 | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #30 | #15 |
| Best 3 average finish | 3.3 | 1.3 |
| Best 5 average finish | 4.2 | 2.4 |
| Best 10 average finish | 5.7 | 4.4 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #15 | #25 |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +7.7 | +9.7 |
| Best 3 average impact | +7.2 | +8.4 |
| Best 5 average impact | +7.0 | +7.9 |
| Best 10 average impact | +6.1 | +6.8 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +6,394 pts | +5,683 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 4 | 8 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 10 | 10 |
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 | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,392 | 1,207 |
| Minutes | 47,368 | 41,918 |
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 a higher impact result above; these skill rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 55.1% | 58.6% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 55.6% | 58.4% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 50.6% | 58.2% |
| Three-point percentage | 17.9% | 4.5% |
| Free-throw percentage | 69.6% | 52.7% |
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 | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 17.5% | 15.5% |
| Assists per game | 3.0 | 2.5 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 11.8% | 10.7% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 18.8% | 17.8% |
| Rebounds per game | 10.8 | 10.9 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.1% | 0.9% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 4.6% | 4.7% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Tim Duncan | Shaquille O'Neal |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 19.0 | 23.7 |
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
Shaquille O'Neal ranks higher in career impact.
Tim DuncanMetricShaquille O'Neal
#30Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#15Leads
+7.7Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.7Leads
+7.0Best 5 average impact+7.9Leads
+6,394 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+5,683 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Tim Duncan leads every available measure below.
Tim DuncanMetricShaquille O'Neal
1,072LeadsListed-team regular-season wins1,031
71.0%LeadsListed-team winning percentage64.1%
18Leads50-win team seasons15
5Leads60-win team seasons4
19LeadsPlayoff team seasons17
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
Tim Duncan leads every available measure below.
Tim DuncanMetricShaquille O'Neal
18LeadsPlayoff appearances17
251LeadsPlayoff games216
157LeadsTeam playoff wins135
6Finals appearances6
5LeadsChampionships4
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Tim Duncan leads every available measure below.
Tim DuncanMetricShaquille O'Neal
15All-Star15
2LeadsMVP1
15LeadsAll-NBA14
15LeadsAll-Defense3
0DPOY0
1Rookie of the Year1
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.
Tim DuncanShaquille O'NealPeak 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.
Tim DuncanNBA seasonShaquille O'Neal
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
Season 14
Season 15
Season 16
Season 17
Season 18
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.