Cross-era · careers 7 years apart

David Robinson vs Dave Cowens

David Robinson 1989-2002 · Center Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center

David Robinson (1989-2002) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, David Robinson was the higher-volume scorer (21.1 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.12× and 1.69× their league average respectively; David Robinson was the more efficient scorer (58.3% true shooting to 49.5%). David Robinson holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #24 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

David RobinsonStatDave Cowens
21.1 Points / game 17.6
10.6 Rebounds / game 13.6
2.5 Assists / game 3.8
1.4 Steals / game 0.8
3.0 Blocks / game 0.6
51.4% Field goal % 45.9%
13.4% 3-point % 0.7%
73.1% Free throw % 78.5%
58.3% True shooting % 49.5%
987 Games played 766

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

David RobinsonStatDave Cowens
2.12× Points vs era avg 1.69×
2.56× Rebounds vs era avg 2.82×
1.09× Assists vs era avg 1.63×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for David Robinson.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Playoff averages

David RobinsonStatDave Cowens
18.0 Points / game 18.9
10.6 Rebounds / game 14.4
2.3 Assists / game 3.7
1.2 Steals / game 0.9
2.5 Blocks / game 0.6
49.1% Field goal % 45.3%
2.4% 3-point % 0.0%
68.3% Free throw % 76.4%
123 Playoff games 89

Accolades

David RobinsonStatDave Cowens
1 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 2
10 All-Star selections 6
4 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#24 All-time GOAT rank #51

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