Julius Erving vs Bob Pettit
Julius Erving (1976-1986) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 12 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 22.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.09× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Julius Erving was the more efficient scorer (55.8% true shooting to 51.1%). Julius Erving holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 3 championships and the #21 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 22.0 | Points / game | 26.4 |
| 6.7 | Rebounds / game | 16.2 |
| 3.9 | Assists / game | 3.0 |
| 1.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.5 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 43.5% |
| 18.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.9% | Free throw % | 76.2% |
| 55.8% | True shooting % | 51.1% |
| 836 | Games played | 792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 2.09× | Points vs era avg | 2.33× |
| 1.53× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.61× |
| 1.55× | Assists vs era avg | 1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
Playoff averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 21.9 | Points / game | 25.5 |
| 7.0 | Rebounds / game | 14.8 |
| 4.2 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 1.7 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.4% | Field goal % | 41.4% |
| 8.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 78.1% | Free throw % | 77.9% |
| 141 | Playoff games | 88 |
Accolades
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVP awards | 2 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 1 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #21 | All-time GOAT rank | #22 |
More comparisons
Compare Julius Erving with…
Compare Bob Pettit with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.