Cross-era · careers 26 years apart

Julius Erving vs Damian Lillard

Julius Erving 1976-1986 · Forward Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Julius Erving (1976-1986) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 26 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 22.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.09× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 55.8%). Julius Erving holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 3 championships and the #21 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Julius ErvingStatDamian Lillard
22.0 Points / game 25.1
6.7 Rebounds / game 4.3
3.9 Assists / game 6.8
1.8 Steals / game 1.0
1.5 Blocks / game 0.3
50.6% Field goal % 43.8%
18.6% 3-point % 37.1%
77.9% Free throw % 89.5%
55.8% True shooting % 59.0%
836 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Julius ErvingStatDamian Lillard
2.09× Points vs era avg 2.48×
1.53× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
1.55× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.

Julius ErvingStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Julius ErvingStatDamian Lillard
21.9 Points / game 25.2
7.0 Rebounds / game 4.4
4.2 Assists / game 6.1
1.7 Steals / game 1.2
1.7 Blocks / game 0.3
48.4% Field goal % 40.5%
8.0% 3-point % 35.5%
78.1% Free throw % 88.9%
141 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Julius ErvingStatDamian Lillard
1 MVP awards 0
0 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 0
11 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#21 All-time GOAT rank #69

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.