Cross-era · careers 17 years apart

Bob Pettit vs Isiah Thomas

Bob Pettit 1954-1964 · Forward Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard

Bob Pettit (1954-1964) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 17 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.33× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Isiah Thomas was the more efficient scorer (51.6% true shooting to 51.1%). Bob Pettit holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 1 championship and the #22 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.

Career averages

Bob PettitStatIsiah Thomas
26.4 Points / game 19.2
16.2 Rebounds / game 3.6
3.0 Assists / game 9.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.9
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
43.5% Field goal % 45.2%
0.0% 3-point % 29.0%
76.2% Free throw % 75.9%
51.1% True shooting % 51.6%
792 Games played 979

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Bob PettitStatIsiah Thomas
2.33× Points vs era avg 1.85×
2.61× Rebounds vs era avg 0.86×
1.32× Assists vs era avg 3.80×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.

Playoff averages

Bob PettitStatIsiah Thomas
25.5 Points / game 20.4
14.8 Rebounds / game 4.7
2.7 Assists / game 8.9
0.0 Steals / game 2.1
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
41.4% Field goal % 43.8%
0.0% 3-point % 32.3%
77.9% Free throw % 77.0%
88 Playoff games 111

Accolades

Bob PettitStatIsiah Thomas
2 MVP awards 0
0 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 2
11 All-Star selections 11
10 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#22 All-time GOAT rank #36

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