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Player profile · BOS
Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale stats, teams and career impact
#157 all-timeCareer averages · 17.9 PPG · 7.3 RPG · 1.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Boston Celtics
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) · 210 lb (95 kg)
- Born
- December 19, 1957 (68 yrs old)
- College
- Minnesota
- NBA seasons
- 13 seasons · 1980–81 to 1992–93
Career summaryKevin McHale was a power forward who played 13 NBA seasons, from 1980–81 through 1992–93.
- Career PPG
- 17.9
- Career RPG
- 7.3
- Career APG
- 1.7
- #11 in 1986–87
- #157 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Kevin McHale ranks #157 all time
Kevin McHale ranks #157 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #15.7. His full-career value ranks #128, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
971 games · Career Value Rank #128
NBA honors7× All-Star · All-NBA · 6× All-Defense · 2× Sixth ManContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Kevin McHale with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Kevin McHale vs. Kurt Rambis Celtics and Lakers frontcourt roles
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- Kevin McHale vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo All-time forwards
- Kevin McHale vs. Chris Webber All-time forwards
- Kevin McHale vs. Kevin Garnett All-time forwards
- Kevin McHale vs. Carlos Boozer Similar career path
- Kevin McHale vs. Dolph Schayes Similar career path
- Kevin McHale vs. Peja Stojaković Similar career path
- Kevin McHale vs. Jerry Lucas Similar career path
- Kevin McHale vs. Rudy Gobert Similar career path
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Boston Celtics
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 55.4%FG%
- Three-point
- 26.1%3P%
- Free throw
- 79.8%FT%
971 career games · 30,118 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
Kevin McHale 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 →
| 1992–93 | 10.7 | 5.0 | 1.0 | -1.81 | BOS | 71 | 0 | 23.3 | 45.9% | 11.1% | 84.1% | #196 | 6.2 |
| 1991–92 | 13.9 | 5.9 | 1.5 | +0.41 | BOS | 56 | 1 | 25.0 | 50.9% | 0.0% | 82.2% | #98 | 67.3 |
| 1990–91 | 18.4 | 7.1 | 1.9 | +2.37 | BOS | 68 | 10 | 30.4 | 55.3% | 40.5% | 82.9% | #34 | 185.5 |
| 1989–90 | 20.9 | 8.3 | 2.1 | +3.39 | BOS | 82 | 25 | 33.2 | 54.9% | 33.3% | 89.3% | #23 | 300.1 |
| 1988–89 | 22.5 | 8.2 | 2.2 | +1.68 | BOS | 78 | 74 | 36.9 | 54.6% | 0.0% | 81.8% | #44 | 216.2 |
| 1987–88 | 22.6 | 8.4 | 2.7 | +2.66 | BOS | 64 | 63 | 37.3 | 60.4% | — | 79.7% | #25 | 227.3 |
| 1986–87 | 26.1 | 9.9 | 2.6 | +4.30 | BOS | 77 | 77 | 39.7 | 60.4% | 0.0% | 83.6% | #11 | 396.2 |
| 1985–86 | 21.3 | 8.1 | 2.7 | +4.12 | BOS | 68 | 62 | 35.3 | 57.4% | — | 77.6% | #13 | 309.4 |
| 1984–85 | 19.8 | 9.0 | 1.8 | +2.27 | BOS | 79 | 31 | 33.6 | 57.0% | 0.0% | 76.0% | #27 | 239.9 |
| 1983–84 | 18.4 | 7.4 | 1.3 | +1.80 | BOS | 82 | 10 | 31.4 | 55.6% | 33.3% | 76.5% | #36 | 203.6 |
| 1982–83 | 14.1 | 6.7 | 1.3 | +1.37 | BOS | 82 | 13 | 28.6 | 54.1% | 0.0% | 71.7% | #57 | 171.3 |
| 1981–82 | 13.6 | 6.8 | 1.1 | +0.91 | BOS | 82 | 33 | 28.4 | 53.1% | — | 75.4% | #64 | 143.5 |
| 1980–81 | 10.0 | 4.4 | 0.7 | -0.77 | BOS | 82 | 1 | 20.1 | 53.3% | 0.0% | 67.9% | #135 | 42.5 |
| Career | 17.9 | 7.3 | 1.7 | — | BOS | 971 | — | 31.0 | 55.4% | 26.1% | 79.8% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Kevin McHale highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Peak-game archive
Kevin McHale scores 56 against Detroit
Kevin McHale's peak-game archive adds visual context to the numbers on this page, especially his post footwork, counters and extraordinary efficiency near the basket. The vetted footage complements the season tables and impact model.
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.
20.5 composite · lower is better
19.8 average league finish
2,509 total value
Career standing
How Kevin McHale 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 Score20.5
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
- 256.0
- Qualified seasons
- 13
- All-time rank
- #157
Strongest seasons
Every season
Kevin McHale 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
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 35 | 71 | 1,656 | -1.81 | 33.9 | #196 | 6.2 | 33rd | Broad |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 34 | 56 | 1,398 | +0.41 | 66.4 | #98 | 67.3 | 61st | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 33 | 68 | 2,067 | +2.37 | 88.7 | #34 | 185.5 | 85th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 32 | 82 | 2,722 | +3.39 | 92.3 | #23 | 300.1 | 93rd | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 31 | 78 | 2,876 | +1.68 | 83.7 | #44 | 216.2 | 87th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 30 | 64 | 2,390 | +2.66 | 90.4 | #25 | 227.3 | 88th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 29 | 77 | 3,060 | +4.30 | 96.1 | #11 | 396.2 | 97th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 28 | 68 | 2,397 | +4.12 | 95.3 | #13 | 309.4 | 94th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 27 | 79 | 2,653 | +2.27 | 89.7 | #27 | 239.9 | 89th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 26 | 82 | 2,577 | +1.80 | 85.9 | #36 | 203.6 | 89th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 25 | 82 | 2,345 | +1.37 | 77.9 | #57 | 171.3 | 81st | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 24 | 82 | 2,332 | +0.91 | 75.2 | #64 | 143.5 | 82nd | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 23 | 82 | 1,645 | -0.77 | 46.0 | #135 | 42.5 | 47th | Broad |
Career movement
Kevin McHale's career impact by season
Peak +4.30 in 1986–87 · 13 seasons · 30,118 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
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.
Kevin McHaleCarlos Boozer
| NBA season | Kevin McHale | Carlos Boozer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.8 | 1.5 |
| 2 | 0.9 | 3.5 |
| 3 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 4 | 1.8 | 4.0 |
| 5 | 2.3 | 4.3 |
| 6 | 4.1 | 2.1 |
| 7 | 4.3 | -0.6 |
| 8 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
| 9 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| 10 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
| 11 | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| 12 | 0.4 | -1.3 |
| 13 | -1.8 | -1.0 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Kevin McHale
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.
PF · All-Time Career #222
Carlos Boozer
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1986–87 ↔ 2009–10PF · All-Time Career #19Dolph Schayes
93career similarity score
95/100 closest-season score · 1986–87 ↔ 1957–58SF · All-Time Career #260Peja Stojaković
92career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1986–87 ↔ 2003–04Impact 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 →