Cross-era · careers 34 years apart

Billy Cunningham vs James Harden

Billy Cunningham 1965-1975 · Forward James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Billy Cunningham (1965-1975) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 34 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 20.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.88× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 50.3%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Billy Cunningham's #64.

Career averages

Billy CunninghamStatJames Harden
20.8 Points / game 24.0
10.2 Rebounds / game 5.6
4.0 Assists / game 7.3
0.2 Steals / game 1.5
0.1 Blocks / game 0.6
44.5% Field goal % 43.8%
0.0% 3-point % 36.5%
71.8% Free throw % 86.0%
50.3% True shooting % 64.1%
654 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Billy CunninghamStatJames Harden
1.88× Points vs era avg 2.39×
1.88× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
1.76× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Billy Cunningham's era.

Billy CunninghamStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Billy CunninghamStatJames Harden
19.4 Points / game 22.5
9.1 Rebounds / game 5.5
3.2 Assists / game 6.5
0.0 Steals / game 1.6
0.0 Blocks / game 0.6
40.6% Field goal % 43.0%
0.0% 3-point % 34.7%
69.4% Free throw % 86.5%
39 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Billy CunninghamStatJames Harden
0 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 0
4 All-Star selections 10
4 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#64 All-time GOAT rank #41

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