Gary Payton vs Joel Embiid
Gary Payton and Joel Embiid split the compared categories 4–4. The two never shared an NBA floor — Gary Payton's last season was 2006-07, and Joel Embiid debuted in 2025-26.
The case for Gary Payton: playmaking (6.7 APG), career value (144.0 Win Shares), longevity (1335 games played), and 1 more.
The case for Joel Embiid: scoring (26.9 PPG), rebounding (7.7 RPG), shooting efficiency (60.5% TS%), and 1 more.
PPG
16.326.9
RPG
3.97.7
APG
6.73.9
TS%
52.8%60.5%
PER
18.924.7
Win Shares
144.04.1
games played
133538
MVPs / All-Star nods
1 DPOY · 9 All-NBA · 9 AS—
Per Game
| Gary Payton | Joel Embiid | |
|---|---|---|
| G | 1335 | 38 |
| MIN | 35.3 | 31.5 |
| PTS | 16.3 | 26.9 |
| REB | 3.9 | 7.7 |
| AST | 6.7 | 3.9 |
| STL | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| BLK | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| FG% | 46.6 | 48.9 |
| 3P% | 31.7 | 33.3 |
| FT% | 72.9 | 85.4 |
Advanced
| Gary Payton | Joel Embiid | |
|---|---|---|
| PER | 18.9 | 24.7 |
| TS% | 52.8 | 60.5 |
| USG% | 22.5 | 34.1 |
| WS | 144.0 | 4.1 |
| WS/48 | 0.147 | 0.163 |
| BPM | 3.4 | 4.1 |
| VORP | 65.0 | 1.8 |
Accolades
| Gary Payton | Joel Embiid | |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive POY | 1 | — |
| All-NBA | 9 | — |
| All-Star | 9 | — |
| All-Defensive | 9 | — |
| All-Rookie | 1 | — |
Career percentiles
Scoring8198
Efficiency5671
Playmaking9585
Rebounding6093
Defense8284
Compare Gary Payton to someone else · Compare Joel Embiid to someone else