Cross-era · careers 45 years apart
Bob Pettit vs Stephen Curry
Bob Pettit (1954-1964) and Stephen Curry (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 45 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 24.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.33× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% true shooting to 51.1%). Stephen Curry holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 4 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #16 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| Bob Pettit | Stat | Stephen Curry |
| 26.4 |
Points / game |
24.8 |
| 16.2 |
Rebounds / game |
4.7 |
| 3.0 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 43.5% |
Field goal % |
47.1% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
42.5% |
| 76.2% |
Free throw % |
91.0% |
| 51.1% |
True shooting % |
64.8% |
| 792 |
Games played |
1,069 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Bob Pettit | Stat | Stephen Curry |
| 2.33× |
Points vs era avg |
2.50× |
| 2.61× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.14× |
| 1.32× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.86× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
| Bob Pettit | Stat | Stephen Curry |
| — |
Offensive rating |
117.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.8 |
| — |
Net rating |
11.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
32.5% |
| — |
Assist % |
27.0% |
| — |
Rebound % |
6.5% |
Playoff averages
| Bob Pettit | Stat | Stephen Curry |
| 25.5 |
Points / game |
26.8 |
| 14.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.3 |
| 2.7 |
Assists / game |
6.2 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 41.4% |
Field goal % |
45.4% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
39.8% |
| 77.9% |
Free throw % |
89.1% |
| 88 |
Playoff games |
155 |
Accolades
| Bob Pettit | Stat | Stephen Curry |
| 2 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
4 |
| 11 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 10 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #22 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#16 |