James Worthy vs George Mikan
James Worthy (1982-1993) and George Mikan (1948-1955) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 27 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, George Mikan was the higher-volume scorer (23.1 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.71× their league average respectively; James Worthy was the more efficient scorer (55.9% true shooting to 48.3%). George Mikan holds the edge on accolades — 5 championships and the #34 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.
Career averages
| James Worthy | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | Points / game | 23.1 |
| 5.1 | Rebounds / game | 9.5 |
| 3.0 | Assists / game | 2.8 |
| 1.1 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.1% | Field goal % | 40.2% |
| 24.1% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.9% | Free throw % | 78.1% |
| 55.9% | True shooting % | 48.3% |
| 926 | Games played | 439 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Worthy | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 2.71× |
| 1.23× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.55× |
| 1.23× | Assists vs era avg | 1.37× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in George Mikan's era.
Playoff averages
| James Worthy | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Points / game | 22.9 |
| 5.2 | Rebounds / game | 11.1 |
| 3.2 | Assists / game | 2.2 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 55.0% | Field goal % | 39.8% |
| 24.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 71.6% | Free throw % | 78.3% |
| 143 | Playoff games | 60 |
Accolades
| James Worthy | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 5 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 4 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 6 |
| #53 | All-time GOAT rank | #34 |
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