diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/ProtobufUtil.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/ProtobufUtil.java
index 60175137ad2c..40158dc5ddc8 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/ProtobufUtil.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/ProtobufUtil.java
@@ -1428,7 +1428,10 @@ public static ClientProtos.Result toResult(final Result result, boolean encodeTa
 
     ExtendedCell[] cells = ClientInternalHelper.getExtendedRawCells(result);
     if (cells == null || cells.length == 0) {
-      return result.isStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_PB_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT_PB;
+      ClientProtos.Result emptyResult = result.isStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_PB_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT_PB;
+      return result.getMetrics() == null
+        ? emptyResult
+        : emptyResult.toBuilder().setMetrics(toQueryMetrics(result.getMetrics())).build();
     }
 
     ClientProtos.Result.Builder builder = ClientProtos.Result.newBuilder();
@@ -1468,7 +1471,12 @@ public static ClientProtos.Result toResult(final boolean existence, boolean stal
   public static ClientProtos.Result toResultNoData(final Result result) {
     if (result.getExists() != null) return toResult(result.getExists(), result.isStale());
     int size = result.size();
-    if (size == 0) return result.isStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_PB_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT_PB;
+    if (size == 0) {
+      ClientProtos.Result emptyResult = result.isStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_PB_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT_PB;
+      return result.getMetrics() == null
+        ? emptyResult
+        : emptyResult.toBuilder().setMetrics(toQueryMetrics(result.getMetrics())).build();
+    }
     ClientProtos.Result.Builder builder = ClientProtos.Result.newBuilder();
     builder.setAssociatedCellCount(size);
     builder.setStale(result.isStale());
@@ -1506,7 +1514,7 @@ public static Result toResult(final ClientProtos.Result proto, boolean decodeTag
     }
 
     List<CellProtos.Cell> values = proto.getCellList();
-    if (values.isEmpty()) {
+    if (values.isEmpty() && !proto.hasMetrics()) {
       return proto.getStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT;
     }
 
@@ -1564,9 +1572,14 @@ public static Result toResult(final ClientProtos.Result proto, final CellScanner
       }
     }
 
-    Result r = (cells == null || cells.isEmpty())
-      ? (proto.getStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT)
-      : Result.create(cells, null, proto.getStale());
+    Result r;
+    if (cells == null || cells.isEmpty()) {
+      r = proto.hasMetrics()
+        ? Result.create(EMPTY_CELL_ARRAY, null, proto.getStale())
+        : (proto.getStale() ? EMPTY_RESULT_STALE : EMPTY_RESULT);
+    } else {
+      r = Result.create(cells, null, proto.getStale());
+    }
 
     if (proto.hasMetrics()) {
       r.setMetrics(toQueryMetrics(proto.getMetrics()));
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/TestProtobufUtil.java b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/TestProtobufUtil.java
index 6326bf7fd77e..f6a55eda0c2e 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/TestProtobufUtil.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/shaded/protobuf/TestProtobufUtil.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -43,6 +44,8 @@
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Get;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Increment;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Put;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.QueryMetrics;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Result;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.SlowLogParams;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.io.TimeRange;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.SmallTests;
@@ -132,6 +135,35 @@ public void testGet() throws IOException {
     assertEquals(getBuilder.build(), ProtobufUtil.toGet(get));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testEmptyResultWithQueryMetrics() throws IOException {
+    long blockBytesScanned = 123L;
+    Result result = Result.create(Collections.emptyList());
+    result.setMetrics(new QueryMetrics(blockBytesScanned));
+
+    for (ClientProtos.Result proto : List.of(ProtobufUtil.toResult(result),
+      ProtobufUtil.toResultNoData(result))) {
+      assertTrue(proto.hasMetrics());
+      assertEquals(blockBytesScanned, proto.getMetrics().getBlockBytesScanned());
+
+      Result roundTrip = ProtobufUtil.toResult(proto);
+      assertNotNull(roundTrip.getMetrics());
+      assertEquals(blockBytesScanned, roundTrip.getMetrics().getBlockBytesScanned());
+
+      roundTrip = ProtobufUtil.toResult(proto,
+        PrivateCellUtil.createExtendedCellScanner(Collections.<ExtendedCell> emptyList()));
+      assertNotNull(roundTrip.getMetrics());
+      assertEquals(blockBytesScanned, roundTrip.getMetrics().getBlockBytesScanned());
+    }
+
+    ClientProtos.Result emptyProto = ClientProtos.Result.getDefaultInstance();
+    assertNull(ProtobufUtil.toResult(emptyProto).getMetrics());
+    assertNull(ProtobufUtil
+      .toResult(emptyProto,
+        PrivateCellUtil.createExtendedCellScanner(Collections.<ExtendedCell> emptyList()))
+      .getMetrics());
+  }
+
   /**
    * Test Delete Mutate conversions.
    * @throws IOException if the conversion to a {@link Delete} or a