Cross-era · careers 10 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 10 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the higher-volume scorer (24.6 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 57.7%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Dirk Nowitzki's #25.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
20.7 Points / game 24.6
7.5 Rebounds / game 11.2
2.4 Assists / game 3.6
0.8 Steals / game 0.7
0.8 Blocks / game 2.0
46.6% Field goal % 55.9%
37.9% 3-point % 1.7%
87.4% Free throw % 72.7%
57.7% True shooting % 59.2%
1,522 Games played 1,560

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
2.17× Points vs era avg 2.34×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.40×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.51×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
25.3 Points / game 24.3
10.0 Rebounds / game 10.5
2.5 Assists / game 3.2
1.0 Steals / game 0.8
0.9 Blocks / game 2.0
46.1% Field goal % 53.0%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 74.2%
145 Playoff games 237

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
1 MVP awards 6
1 Finals MVP 2
1 Championships 6
14 All-Star selections 18
4 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#25 All-time GOAT rank #2

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