Cross-era · careers 26 years apart
Elvin Hayes vs James Harden
Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 26 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 21.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.97× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 49.2%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Elvin Hayes's #42.
Career averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 21.0 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 12.5 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 1.8 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 45.2% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 4.5% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 67.0% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 49.2% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 1,303 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.97× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 2.57× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 0.78× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| — |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 22.9 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 13.0 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 1.9 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 46.4% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 65.2% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 96 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 3 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #42 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |