Cross-era · careers 39 years apart
Jerry West vs Damian Lillard
Jerry West (1960-1973) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 39 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 points per game to 25.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 55.0%). Jerry West holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #23 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.
Career averages
| Jerry West | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 27.0 |
Points / game |
25.1 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
4.3 |
| 6.7 |
Assists / game |
6.8 |
| 0.1 |
Steals / game |
1.0 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 47.4% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
37.1% |
| 81.4% |
Free throw % |
89.5% |
| 55.0% |
True shooting % |
59.0% |
| 932 |
Games played |
900 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Jerry West | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 2.34× |
Points vs era avg |
2.48× |
| 0.99× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.03× |
| 2.97× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.99× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
| Jerry West | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
110.3 |
| — |
Net rating |
4.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
0.3% |
| — |
Assist % |
0.3% |
| — |
Rebound % |
0.1% |
Playoff averages
| Jerry West | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 29.1 |
Points / game |
25.2 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 6.3 |
Assists / game |
6.1 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.2 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 46.6% |
Field goal % |
40.5% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
35.5% |
| 79.1% |
Free throw % |
88.9% |
| 153 |
Playoff games |
68 |
Accolades
| Jerry West | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
8 |
| 10 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
1 |
| #23 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#69 |