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Player profile · ATL / KCK / SEA
Tom Burleson
Tom Burleson stats, teams and career impact
#819 all-timeCareer averages · 9.4 PPG · 6.3 RPG · 1.3 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Atlanta Hawks
- Height / weight
- 7 ft 2 in (218 cm) · 225 lb (102 kg)
- Born
- February 24, 1952 (74 yrs old)
- College
- NC State
- NBA seasons
- 7 seasons · 1974–75 to 1980–81
Career summaryTom Burleson was a center who played 7 NBA seasons, from 1974–75 through 1980–81.
- Career PPG
- 9.4
- Career RPG
- 6.3
- Career APG
- 1.3
- #32 in 1975–76
- #819 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Tom Burleson ranks #819 all time
Tom Burleson ranks #819 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #55.3. His full-career value ranks #815 across 7 seasons. Career Impact Rank averages his best three, five, and ten season ranks, with the most weight on his peak.
450+ minutes required per season
446 games · Career Value Rank #815
Head to head
Compare Tom Burleson with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Tom Burleson vs. Willie Cauley-Stein Similar career path
- Tom Burleson vs. Dave Robisch Similar career path
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- Tom Burleson vs. Lew Hitch Similar career path
- Tom Burleson vs. Swen Nater Similar career path
- Tom Burleson vs. Doug Collins Same-era comparison
- Tom Burleson vs. Mike Bantom Same-era comparison
- Tom Burleson vs. John Shumate Same-era comparison
- Tom Burleson vs. Allan Bristow Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Seattle SuperSonics, Kansas City Kings, and Atlanta Hawks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 44.5%FG%
- Three-point
- 0.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 72.6%FT%
446 career games · 9,425 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
Tom Burleson 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 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 0.4 | -6.25 | ATL | 31 | 0 | 11.7 | 41.4% | — | 48.8% | — | -32.0 |
| 1979–80 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.5 | -6.34 | KCK | 37 | 0 | 7.4 | 34.6% | 0.0% | 57.5% | — | -25.4 |
| 1978–79 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 0.9 | -0.83 | KCK | 56 | 0 | 16.6 | 45.9% | — | 71.6% | #130 | 24.3 |
| 1977–78 | 8.6 | 6.3 | 1.7 | +0.49 | KCK | 76 | 0 | 20.1 | 43.4% | — | 79.4% | #68 | 85.6 |
| 1976–77 | 9.7 | 6.7 | 1.1 | +0.56 | SEA | 82 | 82 | 22.0 | 44.2% | — | 73.1% | #75 | 102.9 |
| 1975–76 | 15.6 | 9.0 | 2.2 | +1.62 | SEA | 82 | 82 | 32.3 | 48.1% | — | 75.0% | #32 | 215.0 |
| 1974–75 | 10.1 | 7.0 | 1.4 | +0.36 | SEA | 82 | 0 | 23.0 | 41.7% | — | 68.7% | #66 | 98.1 |
| Career | 9.4 | 6.3 | 1.3 | — | ATL/KCK/SEA | 446 | — | 21.1 | 44.5% | 0.0% | 72.6% | — | — |
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.
80.2 composite · lower is better
74.2 average league finish
469 total value
Career standing
How Tom Burleson 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 Score80.2
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
- 229.0
- Qualified seasons
- 5
- All-time rank
- #819
Strongest seasons
Every season
Tom Burleson 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 | ATL | 28 | 31 | 363 | -6.25 | — | — | -32.0 | — | Limited |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 27 | 37 | 272 | -6.34 | — | — | -25.4 | — | Limited |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 26 | 56 | 927 | -0.83 | 43.2 | #130 | 24.3 | 36th | Standard |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 25 | 76 | 1,525 | +0.49 | 71.6 | #68 | 85.6 | 61st | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | SEA | 24 | 82 | 1,803 | +0.56 | 69.5 | #75 | 102.9 | 66th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | SEA | 23 | 82 | 2,647 | +1.62 | 83.5 | #32 | 215.0 | 85th | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | SEA | 22 | 82 | 1,888 | +0.36 | 65.2 | #66 | 98.1 | 65th | Broad |
Career movement
Tom Burleson's career impact by season
Peak +1.62 in 1975–76 · 7 seasons · 9,425 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.
Tom BurlesonWillie Cauley-Stein
| NBA season | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.4 | -0.8 |
| 2 | 1.6 | -0.9 |
| 3 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| 4 | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| 5 | -0.8 | 1.5 |
| 6 | -6.3 | -1.7 |
| 7 | -6.3 | -6.6 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Tom Burleson
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.
C · All-Time Career #1330
Willie Cauley-Stein
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 2018–19C · All-Time Career #1096Dave Robisch
91career similarity score
86/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1976–77C · All-Time Career #1234Tiago Splitter
91career similarity score
83/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 2012–13Impact 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 →