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Player profile · LAC / SEA
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps stats, teams and career impact
#2250 all-timeCareer averages · 3.6 PPG · 1.1 RPG · 1.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Shooting guard
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) · 180 lb (82 kg)
- Born
- October 3, 1961 (65 yrs old)
- College
- Alcorn State
- NBA seasons
- 3 seasons · 1985–86 to 1987–88
Career summaryMichael Phelps was a shooting guard who played 3 NBA seasons, from 1985–86 through 1987–88.
- Career PPG
- 3.6
- Career RPG
- 1.1
- Career APG
- 1.0
- #228 in 1986–87
- #2250 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Michael Phelps ranks #2250 all time
Michael Phelps ranks #2250 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #238.7. His full-career value ranks #4183, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
132 games · Career Value Rank #4183
Head to head
Compare Michael Phelps with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Michael Phelps vs. Willie Green Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. Mike Evans Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. Terence Morris Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. MarJon Beauchamp Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. Ron Baker Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. Manny Harris Similar career path
- Michael Phelps vs. Bill Martin Same-era comparison
- Michael Phelps vs. Michael Young Same-era comparison
- Michael Phelps vs. Ron Cavenall Same-era comparison
- Michael Phelps vs. Chris McNealy Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 41.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 9.1%3P%
- Free throw
- 63.9%FT%
132 career games · 1,372 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
Michael Phelps 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.
Box impact is an estimate in points per 100 possessions, not the 0–100 Impact Rate score. Zero is league average; higher is better. Rate rank is a league place: No. 1 is best.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Box impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| pts/100 · higher is better | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | -7.67 | LAC | 2 | 0 | 11.5 | 42.9% | — | 75.0% | — | -2.7 |
| 1986–87 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 | -3.59 | SEA | 60 | 6 | 7.8 | 42.6% | 10.0% | 70.5% | #228 | -15.8 |
| 1985–86 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | -3.93 | SEA | 70 | 18 | 12.6 | 40.9% | 8.3% | 59.5% | #231 | -34.5 |
| Career | 3.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | — | LAC/SEA | 132 | — | 10.4 | 41.6% | 9.1% | 63.9% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, from the historical box-score model. Zero is league average; higher is better. Historical defense estimates are included where labeled. This is not the live model's lineup-adjusted estimate.
- Impact Rate
- A 0–100 score comparing performance within one season. Higher is better. This is a score, not points per possession.
- Impact estimate
- The season model's final estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, before conversion to the 0–100 Impact Rate score. It includes lineup evidence where available. Zero is league average; higher is better.
- Impact Rate rank
- The player's place among qualified players in that season's Impact Rate ranking. No. 1 is best. This is a rank, not an impact score.
- 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.
243.4 composite · lower is better
246.0 average league finish
-53 total value
- Impact Rate
- 0–100 score within one season. Higher is better.
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, from the historical model. Zero is average; higher is better.
Career standing
How Michael Phelps 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 Score243.4
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
- 257.0
- Qualified seasons
- 2
- All-time rank
- #2250
Strongest seasons
Every season
Michael Phelps 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
Career movement
Michael Phelps's box impact by season
Peak box impact -3.59 points per 100 possessions in 1986–87 · 3 seasons · 1,372 minutes
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Rank labels show Impact Rate league places, not ranks on this chart's box-impact scale.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Early-career comparison
Compare the first 3 seasons
Both players are limited to their first 3 seasons. Later seasons never affect the selection or score, and the result is not a career prediction.
Michael PhelpsWillie Green
| NBA season | Michael Phelps | Willie Green |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -3.9 | -3.6 |
| 2 | -3.6 | -3.7 |
| 3 | -7.7 | -7.4 |
NBA season number · first 3 seasons only
Similar starts
Players with starts similar to Michael Phelps
The start-similarity percentile compares era-relative impact, season-relative workload, trajectory, debut age, and role across exactly 3 seasons and 2,104 eligible starts. Higher means closer; it is not a probability or forecast.
SG · All-Time Career #1916
Willie Green
99.7start similarity percentile
Impact: very closeWorkload: closeTrend: very closeAge: closeRole: very close
Medium evidence · first 3 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1986–87 ↔ 2003–04SG · All-Time Career #1205Mike Evans
99.7start similarity percentile
Impact: very closeWorkload: very closeTrend: closeAge: very closeRole: very close
Medium evidence · first 3 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1986–87 ↔ 1980–81SF · All-Time Career #2548Terence Morris
99.4start similarity percentile
Impact: very closeWorkload: very closeTrend: very closeAge: very closeRole: close
Medium evidence · first 3 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1986–87 ↔ 2002–03Impact 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 →