Cross-era · careers 26 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Wilt Chamberlain

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Wilt Chamberlain 1959-1972 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1972) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 26 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Wilt Chamberlain was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.56× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 54.7%). Wilt Chamberlain holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #8 all-time ranking to Dirk Nowitzki's #25.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatWilt Chamberlain
20.7 Points / game 30.1
7.5 Rebounds / game 22.9
2.4 Assists / game 4.4
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 56.8%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 50.1%
57.7% True shooting % 54.7%
1,522 Games played 1,045

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatWilt Chamberlain
2.17× Points vs era avg 2.56×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 3.85×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 2.03×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Wilt Chamberlain's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatWilt Chamberlain
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatWilt Chamberlain
25.3 Points / game 22.5
10.0 Rebounds / game 24.5
2.5 Assists / game 4.2
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 53.1%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 46.6%
145 Playoff games 160

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatWilt Chamberlain
1 MVP awards 4
1 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 2
14 All-Star selections 13
4 All-NBA 1st Team 7
#25 All-time GOAT rank #8

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