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Player profile · DET / MIL

Bob Lanier

Bob Lanier stats, teams and career impact

#26 all-timeCareer averages · 20.1 PPG · 10.1 RPG · 3.1 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Position
Center
Final NBA team
Milwaukee Bucks
Height / weight
6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 250 lb (113 kg)
Born
September 10, 1948
Died
May 10, 2022 (73 yrs old)
College
St. Bonaventure
NBA seasons
14 seasons · 1970–71 to 1983–84

Career summaryBob Lanier was a center who played 14 NBA seasons, from 1970–71 through 1983–84.

Career PPG
20.1
Career RPG
10.1
Career APG
3.1
Best-Season Impact Rank
#2 in 1973–74
Career Impact Rank
#26 all-time
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Career overview

Why Bob Lanier ranks #26 all time

Bob Lanier ranks #26 all time. 5 top-five finishes and 6 top-ten finishes give him a strong blend of peak and staying power. His full-career value ranks #41, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.

Peak#2 in 1973–74

Best league finish

Sustained excellence5 top-five finishes

6 top-ten finishes

Career breadth14 seasons

959 games · Career Value Rank #41

NBA honors8× All-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.

Head to head

Compare Bob Lanier with…

Choose any two players →

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  7. Walt Frazier Same-era comparison
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Suggested comparisons, not a ranking of search traffic.
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources

Full team history

Teams
Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks

Career shooting

NBA regular season
Field goal
51.4%FG%
Three-point
15.4%3P%
Free throw
76.7%FT%

959 career games · 32,103 minutes

Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.

Traditional box score

Bob Lanier stats by season

Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.

Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →

1983–8413.66.32.6+2.44MIL727227.957.2%0.0%70.8%#23180.1
1982–8310.75.12.7+0.30MIL393525.149.1%0.0%68.4%#9246.9
1981–8213.55.23.0+2.52MIL747226.855.8%0.0%75.2%#26187.2
1980–8114.36.22.7+3.76MIL67026.252.5%100.0%75.1%#11217.8
1979–8019.28.82.9+3.43DET/MIL63033.853.7%16.7%78.2%#16254.4
1978–7923.69.32.6+3.49DET53034.651.5%—74.9%#12224.9
1977–7824.511.33.4+4.90DET63036.753.7%—77.2%#5357.8
1976–7725.311.63.3+5.32DET64038.253.4%—81.8%#4405.7
1975–7621.311.73.4+4.95DET64036.953.2%—76.8%#3359.9
1974–7524.012.04.6+6.24DET76039.351.0%—80.2%#2515.5
1973–7422.513.34.2+7.13DET81037.650.4%—79.7%#2617.0
1972–7323.814.93.2+3.22DET81038.949.0%—77.3%#9382.2
1971–7225.714.23.1+2.66DET80038.649.3%—76.8%#14338.3
1970–7115.68.11.8+0.86DET82024.645.5%—72.6%#39133.9
Career20.110.13.1—DET/MIL959—33.551.4%15.4%76.7%——

Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.

What these measures mean
Era-centered box impact
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
Impact Rate Rank
The player's place among qualified players in one season.
Value contribution / Season Value
Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
Career Impact Rank
An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
Best 5#26

3.2 average league finish

Career Value Rank#41

4,221 total value

Career standing

How Bob Lanier ranks all time

These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.

Number-one seasons0

Best in the league

Top-five seasons5

Elite finishes

Top-ten seasons6

Upper-tier finishes

Top-10 Impact Margin15.6

Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons

Career Composite Score3.7

Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.

Best 3 effective weight
74%
Missing-season finish
—
Qualified seasons
14
All-time rank
#26
Strongest seasons

Every season

Bob Lanier advanced stats by season

Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.

More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
1983–84Historical Defense EstimateMIL35722,007+2.4491.1#23180.185thBroad
1982–83Historical Defense EstimateMIL3439978+0.3064.0#9246.952ndStandard
1981–82Historical Defense EstimateMIL33741,986+2.5290.2#26187.287thBroad
1980–81Historical Defense EstimateMIL32671,753+3.7696.0#11217.889thBroad
1979–80Historical Defense EstimateDET/MIL31632,131+3.4393.5#16254.491stBroad
1978–79Historical Defense EstimateDET30531,835+3.4995.2#12224.985thBroad
1977–78Historical Defense EstimateDET29632,311+4.9098.3#5357.896thBroad
1976–77Historical Defense EstimateDET28642,446+5.3298.8#4405.798thBroad
1975–76Historical Defense EstimateDET27642,363+4.9598.9#3359.996thBroad
1974–75Historical Defense EstimateDET26762,987+6.2499.5#2515.598thBroad
1973–74Historical Defense EstimateDET25813,047+7.1399.4#2617.099thBroad
1972–73Historical Defense EstimateDET24813,150+3.2295.3#9382.295thModeled
1971–72Historical Defense EstimateDET23803,092+2.6692.1#14338.393rdModeled
1970–71Historical Defense EstimateDET22822,017+0.8677.2#39133.971stModeled

Career movement

Bob Lanier's career impact by season

Peak +7.13 in 1973–74 · 14 seasons · 32,103 minutes

The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.

Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload

Career comparison

Compare the shape, not the calendar

Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.

Open full comparison →
Bob LanierChris Webber
Era-centered box impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average · dashed marker means the player did not play
Bob Lanier and Chris Webber era-centered impact values by NBA season number
NBA seasonBob LanierChris Webber
10.93.9
22.74.1
33.25.4
47.15.5
56.24.9
64.92.7
75.35.9
84.95.3
93.55.7
103.43.6
113.8-0.9
122.51.8
130.30.9
142.41.6
15Did not play-5.2

NBA season number

Similar career arcs

Players with careers similar to Bob Lanier

The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.

How to read this page

Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →