Cross-era · careers 52 years apart
Bill Sharman vs Anthony Davis
Bill Sharman (1950-1960) and Anthony Davis (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 52 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Anthony Davis was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.78× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Anthony Davis was the more efficient scorer (60.1% true shooting to 49.7%). Bill Sharman holds the edge on accolades — 4 championships and the #37 all-time ranking to Anthony Davis's #61.
Career averages
| Bill Sharman | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 17.8 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 3.9 |
Rebounds / game |
10.7 |
| 3.0 |
Assists / game |
2.6 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
2.3 |
| 42.6% |
Field goal % |
52.2% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
24.6% |
| 88.3% |
Free throw % |
78.8% |
| 49.7% |
True shooting % |
60.1% |
| 711 |
Games played |
807 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Bill Sharman | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 1.78× |
Points vs era avg |
2.37× |
| 0.66× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.58× |
| 1.35× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.11× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Sharman's era.
| Bill Sharman | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
110.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
107.5 |
| — |
Net rating |
2.7 |
| — |
Usage % |
27.5% |
| — |
Assist % |
15.1% |
| — |
Rebound % |
18.7% |
Playoff averages
| Bill Sharman | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 18.5 |
Points / game |
26.1 |
| 3.7 |
Rebounds / game |
11.7 |
| 2.6 |
Assists / game |
2.9 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
2.1 |
| 42.8% |
Field goal % |
54.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
28.0% |
| 90.9% |
Free throw % |
83.8% |
| 78 |
Playoff games |
60 |
Accolades
| Bill Sharman | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 4 |
Championships |
1 |
| 8 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 4 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #37 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#61 |