Cross-era · careers 29 years apart
Elvin Hayes vs Anthony Davis
Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) and Anthony Davis (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 29 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Anthony Davis was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 21.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.97× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Anthony Davis was the more efficient scorer (60.1% true shooting to 49.2%). Elvin Hayes holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #42 all-time ranking to Anthony Davis's #61.
Career averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 21.0 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 12.5 |
Rebounds / game |
10.7 |
| 1.8 |
Assists / game |
2.6 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
2.3 |
| 45.2% |
Field goal % |
52.2% |
| 4.5% |
3-point % |
24.6% |
| 67.0% |
Free throw % |
78.8% |
| 49.2% |
True shooting % |
60.1% |
| 1,303 |
Games played |
807 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 1.97× |
Points vs era avg |
2.37× |
| 2.57× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.58× |
| 0.78× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.11× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
110.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
107.5 |
| — |
Net rating |
2.7 |
| — |
Usage % |
27.5% |
| — |
Assist % |
15.1% |
| — |
Rebound % |
18.7% |
Playoff averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 22.9 |
Points / game |
26.1 |
| 13.0 |
Rebounds / game |
11.7 |
| 1.9 |
Assists / game |
2.9 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
2.1 |
| 46.4% |
Field goal % |
54.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
28.0% |
| 65.2% |
Free throw % |
83.8% |
| 96 |
Playoff games |
60 |
Accolades
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 3 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #42 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#61 |