Cross-era · careers 22 years apart
Elvin Hayes vs Chris Paul
Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) and Chris Paul (2005-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 22 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elvin Hayes was the higher-volume scorer (21.0 points per game to 16.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.97× and 1.71× their league average respectively; Chris Paul was the more efficient scorer (58.1% true shooting to 49.2%). Chris Paul holds the edge on accolades — 11 All-Star selections and the #33 all-time ranking to Elvin Hayes's #42.
Career averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 21.0 |
Points / game |
16.8 |
| 12.5 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 1.8 |
Assists / game |
9.2 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
2.0 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 45.2% |
Field goal % |
46.5% |
| 4.5% |
3-point % |
36.6% |
| 67.0% |
Free throw % |
86.9% |
| 49.2% |
True shooting % |
58.1% |
| 1,303 |
Games played |
1,370 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 1.97× |
Points vs era avg |
1.71× |
| 2.57× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.06× |
| 0.78× |
Assists vs era avg |
4.23× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.9 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
9.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
14.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
30.6% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.1% |
Playoff averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 22.9 |
Points / game |
20.0 |
| 13.0 |
Rebounds / game |
4.9 |
| 1.9 |
Assists / game |
8.3 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 46.4% |
Field goal % |
48.4% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.9% |
| 65.2% |
Free throw % |
84.6% |
| 96 |
Playoff games |
149 |
Accolades
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 3 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #42 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#33 |