James Worthy vs Rick Barry
James Worthy (1982-1993) and Rick Barry (1965-1979) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 3 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 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.19× their league average respectively; James Worthy was the more efficient scorer (55.9% true shooting to 51.0%). Rick Barry holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #28 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.
Career averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | Points / game | 23.1 |
| 5.1 | Rebounds / game | 6.5 |
| 3.0 | Assists / game | 5.1 |
| 1.1 | Steals / game | 1.4 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 52.1% | Field goal % | 44.7% |
| 24.1% | 3-point % | 3.0% |
| 76.9% | Free throw % | 90.9% |
| 55.9% | True shooting % | 51.0% |
| 926 | Games played | 794 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Worthy | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 2.19× |
| 1.23× | Rebounds vs era avg | 1.28× |
| 1.23× | Assists vs era avg | 2.20× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Rick Barry's era.
Playoff averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Points / game | 24.8 |
| 5.2 | Rebounds / game | 5.6 |
| 3.2 | Assists / game | 4.6 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 1.4 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.5 |
| 55.0% | Field goal % | 42.0% |
| 24.3% | 3-point % | 2.0% |
| 71.6% | Free throw % | 89.5% |
| 143 | Playoff games | 74 |
Accolades
| James Worthy | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 3 | Championships | 2 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 7 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 9 |
| #53 | All-time GOAT rank | #28 |
More comparisons
Compare James Worthy with…
Compare Rick Barry with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.