Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Michael Cooper

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Michael Cooper (1978-1989) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 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 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 0.84× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 54.3%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Michael Cooper's #65.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatMichael Cooper
20.7 Points / game 8.8
7.5 Rebounds / game 3.2
2.4 Assists / game 4.2
0.8 Steals / game 1.2
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
46.6% Field goal % 46.8%
37.9% 3-point % 29.1%
87.4% Free throw % 83.2%
57.7% True shooting % 54.3%
1,522 Games played 873

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatMichael Cooper
2.17× Points vs era avg 0.84×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 0.75×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.67×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Michael Cooper's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatMichael Cooper
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatMichael Cooper
25.3 Points / game 9.4
10.0 Rebounds / game 3.4
2.5 Assists / game 4.2
1.0 Steals / game 1.2
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
46.1% Field goal % 46.1%
36.2% 3-point % 32.6%
89.2% Free throw % 77.6%
145 Playoff games 168

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatMichael Cooper
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 5
14 All-Star selections 0
4 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#25 All-time GOAT rank #65

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