Cross-era · careers 7 years apart

David Robinson vs James Harden

David Robinson 1989-2002 · Center James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

David Robinson (1989-2002) and James Harden (2009-2025) 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, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 21.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.12× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 58.3%). David Robinson holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #24 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.

Career averages

David RobinsonStatJames Harden
21.1 Points / game 24.0
10.6 Rebounds / game 5.6
2.5 Assists / game 7.3
1.4 Steals / game 1.5
3.0 Blocks / game 0.6
51.4% Field goal % 43.8%
13.4% 3-point % 36.5%
73.1% Free throw % 86.0%
58.3% True shooting % 64.1%
987 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

David RobinsonStatJames Harden
2.12× Points vs era avg 2.39×
2.56× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
1.09× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for David Robinson.

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

Playoff averages

David RobinsonStatJames Harden
18.0 Points / game 22.5
10.6 Rebounds / game 5.5
2.3 Assists / game 6.5
1.2 Steals / game 1.6
2.5 Blocks / game 0.6
49.1% Field goal % 43.0%
2.4% 3-point % 34.7%
68.3% Free throw % 86.5%
123 Playoff games 173

Accolades

David RobinsonStatJames Harden
1 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 0
10 All-Star selections 10
4 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#24 All-time GOAT rank #41

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.