Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Dwight Howard vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Dwight Howard 2004-2021 · Center-Forward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center

Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 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 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 59.2%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.

Career averages

Dwight HowardStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
15.7 Points / game 24.6
11.8 Rebounds / game 11.2
1.3 Assists / game 3.6
0.9 Steals / game 0.7
1.8 Blocks / game 2.0
59.3% Field goal % 55.9%
15.8% 3-point % 1.7%
57.0% Free throw % 72.7%
60.3% True shooting % 59.2%
1,242 Games played 1,560

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dwight HowardStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
1.61× Points vs era avg 2.34×
2.85× Rebounds vs era avg 2.40×
0.64× Assists vs era avg 1.51×

Advanced metrics

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

Dwight HowardStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
107.3 Offensive rating —
106.8 Defensive rating —
0.5 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dwight HowardStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
15.3 Points / game 24.3
11.8 Rebounds / game 10.5
1.2 Assists / game 3.2
0.8 Steals / game 0.8
2.0 Blocks / game 2.0
59.3% Field goal % 53.0%
7.2% 3-point % 0.0%
54.8% Free throw % 74.2%
125 Playoff games 237

Accolades

Dwight HowardStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
0 MVP awards 6
0 Finals MVP 2
1 Championships 6
8 All-Star selections 18
5 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#48 All-time GOAT rank #2

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