Cross-era · careers 25 years apart
Dwight Howard vs Rick Barry
Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Rick Barry (1965-1979) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 25 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Rick Barry was the higher-volume scorer (23.1 points per game to 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.19× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 51.0%). Rick Barry holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #28 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.
Career averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Rick Barry |
| 15.7 |
Points / game |
23.1 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
6.5 |
| 1.3 |
Assists / game |
5.1 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 1.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
44.7% |
| 15.8% |
3-point % |
3.0% |
| 57.0% |
Free throw % |
90.9% |
| 60.3% |
True shooting % |
51.0% |
| 1,242 |
Games played |
794 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Rick Barry |
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
2.19× |
| 2.85× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.28× |
| 0.64× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.20× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Rick Barry's era.
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Rick Barry |
| 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 | Rick Barry |
| 15.3 |
Points / game |
24.8 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 1.2 |
Assists / game |
4.6 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.5 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
42.0% |
| 7.2% |
3-point % |
2.0% |
| 54.8% |
Free throw % |
89.5% |
| 125 |
Playoff games |
74 |
Accolades
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Rick Barry |
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
2 |
| 8 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 5 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
9 |
| #48 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#28 |