Cross-era · careers 40 years apart
Dwight Howard vs Bob Pettit
Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 40 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 51.1%). Bob Pettit holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 1 championship and the #22 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.
Career averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 15.7 |
Points / game |
26.4 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
16.2 |
| 1.3 |
Assists / game |
3.0 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 1.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
43.5% |
| 15.8% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 57.0% |
Free throw % |
76.2% |
| 60.3% |
True shooting % |
51.1% |
| 1,242 |
Games played |
792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
2.33× |
| 2.85× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.61× |
| 0.64× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 107.3 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 106.8 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 0.5 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 15.3 |
Points / game |
25.5 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
14.8 |
| 1.2 |
Assists / game |
2.7 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
41.4% |
| 7.2% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 54.8% |
Free throw % |
77.9% |
| 125 |
Playoff games |
88 |
Accolades
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 8 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 5 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #48 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#22 |