Cross-era · careers 18 years apart

Dwight Howard vs Julius Erving

Dwight Howard 2004-2021 · Center-Forward Julius Erving 1976-1986 · Forward

Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Julius Erving (1976-1986) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 18 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 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.09× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 55.8%). Julius Erving holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 3 championships and the #21 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.

Career averages

Dwight HowardStatJulius Erving
15.7 Points / game 22.0
11.8 Rebounds / game 6.7
1.3 Assists / game 3.9
0.9 Steals / game 1.8
1.8 Blocks / game 1.5
59.3% Field goal % 50.6%
15.8% 3-point % 18.6%
57.0% Free throw % 77.9%
60.3% True shooting % 55.8%
1,242 Games played 836

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dwight HowardStatJulius Erving
1.61× Points vs era avg 2.09×
2.85× Rebounds vs era avg 1.53×
0.64× Assists vs era avg 1.55×

Advanced metrics

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

Dwight HowardStatJulius Erving
107.3 Offensive rating —
106.8 Defensive rating —
0.5 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dwight HowardStatJulius Erving
15.3 Points / game 21.9
11.8 Rebounds / game 7.0
1.2 Assists / game 4.2
0.8 Steals / game 1.7
2.0 Blocks / game 1.7
59.3% Field goal % 48.4%
7.2% 3-point % 8.0%
54.8% Free throw % 78.1%
125 Playoff games 141

Accolades

Dwight HowardStatJulius Erving
0 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 3
8 All-Star selections 11
5 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#48 All-time GOAT rank #21

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