Cross-era · careers 34 years apart
Dirk Nowitzki vs Bob Pettit
Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 34 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 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 51.1%). Bob Pettit holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 1 championship and the #22 all-time ranking to Dirk Nowitzki's #25.
Career averages
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 20.7 |
Points / game |
26.4 |
| 7.5 |
Rebounds / game |
16.2 |
| 2.4 |
Assists / game |
3.0 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 46.6% |
Field goal % |
43.5% |
| 37.9% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 87.4% |
Free throw % |
76.2% |
| 57.7% |
True shooting % |
51.1% |
| 1,522 |
Games played |
792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 2.17× |
Points vs era avg |
2.33× |
| 1.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.61× |
| 1.14× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 105.9 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 105.4 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 0.6 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 25.3 |
Points / game |
25.5 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
14.8 |
| 2.5 |
Assists / game |
2.7 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.9 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 46.1% |
Field goal % |
41.4% |
| 36.2% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 89.2% |
Free throw % |
77.9% |
| 145 |
Playoff games |
88 |
Accolades
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 14 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 4 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #25 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#22 |