Cross-era · careers 38 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Bill Sharman

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Bill Sharman 1950-1960 · Guard

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Bill Sharman (1950-1960) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 38 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.78× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 49.7%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Bill Sharman's #37.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Sharman
20.7 Points / game 17.8
7.5 Rebounds / game 3.9
2.4 Assists / game 3.0
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 42.6%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 88.3%
57.7% True shooting % 49.7%
1,522 Games played 711

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Sharman
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.78×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 0.66×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.35×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Sharman's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Sharman
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Sharman
25.3 Points / game 18.5
10.0 Rebounds / game 3.7
2.5 Assists / game 2.6
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 42.8%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 90.9%
145 Playoff games 78

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Sharman
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 4
14 All-Star selections 8
4 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#25 All-time GOAT rank #37

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