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Player profile · BUF / DET / HOU / PHO / SAS / SEA
John Shumate
John Shumate stats, teams and career impact
#815 all-timeCareer averages · 12.3 PPG · 7.5 RPG · 1.8 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Teams in final NBA season
- San Antonio Spurs and Seattle SuperSonics
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 235 lb (107 kg)
- Born
- April 6, 1952
- Died
- February 3, 2025 (72 yrs old)
- College
- Notre Dame
- NBA seasons
- 5 seasons · 1975–76 to 1980–81
Career summaryJohn Shumate was a power forward who played 5 NBA seasons, from 1975–76 through 1980–81.
- Career PPG
- 12.3
- Career RPG
- 7.5
- Career APG
- 1.8
- #21 in 1975–76
- #815 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why John Shumate ranks #815 all time
John Shumate ranks #815 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #43.3. His full-career value ranks #693, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
318 games · Career Value Rank #693
Head to head
Compare John Shumate with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Leo Barnhorst Similar career path
- Fred Schaus Similar career path
- Steve Stipanovich Similar career path
- Jamario Moon Similar career path
- Harold Pressley Similar career path
- Lionel Simmons Similar career path
- Dave Twardzik Same-era comparison
- Brian Taylor Same-era comparison
- Tom Burleson Same-era comparison
- Tom Abernethy Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Buffalo Braves, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Seattle SuperSonics
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 51.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 0.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 72.0%FT%
318 career games · 9,201 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
John Shumate 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 →
| 1980–81 | 7.0 | 3.7 | 1.0 | -3.02 | SAS/SEA | 24 | 0 | 22.0 | 42.7% | — | 72.4% | #220 | -11.6 |
| 1979–80 | 8.9 | 5.6 | 1.3 | +0.30 | DET/HOU/SAS | 65 | 0 | 20.6 | 52.8% | 0.0% | 76.4% | #82 | 68.5 |
| 1977–78 | 14.8 | 8.5 | 2.3 | +0.53 | BUF/DET | 80 | 0 | 34.5 | 50.6% | — | 78.7% | #66 | 155.7 |
| 1976–77 | 15.1 | 9.5 | 2.1 | +1.40 | BUF | 74 | 72 | 35.1 | 50.2% | — | 67.1% | #43 | 197.5 |
| 1975–76 | 11.7 | 7.4 | 1.7 | +2.33 | BUF/PHO | 75 | 0 | 26.3 | 56.1% | — | 65.0% | #21 | 190.8 |
| Career | 12.3 | 7.5 | 1.8 | — | BUF/DET/HOU/PHO/SAS/SEA | 318 | — | 28.9 | 51.6% | 0.0% | 72.0% | — | — |
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.
80.0 composite · lower is better
86.4 average league finish
601 total value
Career standing
How John Shumate ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score80.0
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
- 5
- All-time rank
- #815
Strongest seasons
Every season
John Shumate 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
Scroll for more columns
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | SAS/SEA | 28 | 24 | 527 | -3.02 | 11.7 | #220 | -11.6 | 17th | Standard |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | DET/HOU/SAS | 27 | 65 | 1,337 | +0.30 | 64.9 | #82 | 68.5 | 54th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | BUF/DET | 25 | 80 | 2,760 | +0.53 | 72.5 | #66 | 155.7 | 79th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | BUF | 24 | 74 | 2,601 | +1.40 | 82.7 | #43 | 197.5 | 88th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | BUF/PHO | 23 | 75 | 1,976 | +2.33 | 89.4 | #21 | 190.8 | 83rd | Broad |
Career movement
John Shumate's career impact by season
Peak +2.33 in 1975–76 · 5 seasons · 9,201 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 impactMinutes
—’79
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.
John ShumateLeo Barnhorst
| NBA season | John Shumate | Leo Barnhorst |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.3 | -0.1 |
| 2 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| 3 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| 4 | 0.3 | -1.4 |
| 5 | -3.0 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to John Shumate
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.
SF · All-Time Career #337
Leo Barnhorst
91career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1951–52SF · All-Time Career #335Fred Schaus
91career similarity score
86/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1951–52C · All-Time Career #712Steve Stipanovich
90career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1984–85Impact 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 →