Cross-era · careers 36 years apart
Jerry West vs Stephen Curry
Jerry West (1960-1973) and Stephen Curry (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 36 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 24.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% true shooting to 55.0%). Stephen Curry holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 4 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #16 all-time ranking to Jerry West's #23.
Career averages
| Jerry West | Stat | Stephen Curry |
|---|
| 27.0 |
Points / game |
24.8 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
4.7 |
| 6.7 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 0.1 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 47.4% |
Field goal % |
47.1% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
42.5% |
| 81.4% |
Free throw % |
91.0% |
| 55.0% |
True shooting % |
64.8% |
| 932 |
Games played |
1,069 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Jerry West | Stat | Stephen Curry |
|---|
| 2.34× |
Points vs era avg |
2.50× |
| 0.99× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.14× |
| 2.97× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.86× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
| Jerry West | Stat | Stephen Curry |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
117.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.8 |
| — |
Net rating |
11.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
32.5% |
| — |
Assist % |
27.0% |
| — |
Rebound % |
6.5% |
Playoff averages
| Jerry West | Stat | Stephen Curry |
|---|
| 29.1 |
Points / game |
26.8 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
5.3 |
| 6.3 |
Assists / game |
6.2 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 46.6% |
Field goal % |
45.4% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
39.8% |
| 79.1% |
Free throw % |
89.1% |
| 153 |
Playoff games |
155 |
Accolades
| Jerry West | Stat | Stephen Curry |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
4 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 10 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #23 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#16 |