Cross-era · careers 43 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs George Mikan

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward George Mikan 1948-1955 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and George Mikan (1948-1955) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 43 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, George Mikan was the higher-volume scorer (23.1 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.71× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 48.3%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to George Mikan's #34.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatGeorge Mikan
20.7 Points / game 23.1
7.5 Rebounds / game 9.5
2.4 Assists / game 2.8
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 40.2%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 78.1%
57.7% True shooting % 48.3%
1,522 Games played 439

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatGeorge Mikan
2.17× Points vs era avg 2.71×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.55×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.37×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in George Mikan's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatGeorge Mikan
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatGeorge Mikan
25.3 Points / game 22.9
10.0 Rebounds / game 11.1
2.5 Assists / game 2.2
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 39.8%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 78.3%
145 Playoff games 60

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatGeorge Mikan
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 5
14 All-Star selections 4
4 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#25 All-time GOAT rank #34

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