Cross-era · careers 12 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Julius Erving

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Julius Erving 1976-1986 · Forward

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Julius Erving (1976-1986) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 12 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Julius Erving was the higher-volume scorer (22.0 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.09× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 55.8%). Julius Erving holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 3 championships and the #21 all-time ranking to Dirk Nowitzki's #25.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatJulius Erving
20.7 Points / game 22.0
7.5 Rebounds / game 6.7
2.4 Assists / game 3.9
0.8 Steals / game 1.8
0.8 Blocks / game 1.5
46.6% Field goal % 50.6%
37.9% 3-point % 18.6%
87.4% Free throw % 77.9%
57.7% True shooting % 55.8%
1,522 Games played 836

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatJulius Erving
2.17× Points vs era avg 2.09×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 1.53×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.55×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatJulius Erving
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatJulius Erving
25.3 Points / game 21.9
10.0 Rebounds / game 7.0
2.5 Assists / game 4.2
1.0 Steals / game 1.7
0.9 Blocks / game 1.7
46.1% Field goal % 48.4%
36.2% 3-point % 8.0%
89.2% Free throw % 78.1%
145 Playoff games 141

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatJulius Erving
1 MVP awards 1
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 3
14 All-Star selections 11
4 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#25 All-time GOAT rank #21

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