Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Bill Sharman

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Bill Sharman 1950-1960 · Guard

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Bill Sharman (1950-1960) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the higher-volume scorer (24.6 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 1.78× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 49.7%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Bill Sharman's #37.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Sharman
24.6 Points / game 17.8
11.2 Rebounds / game 3.9
3.6 Assists / game 3.0
0.7 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
55.9% Field goal % 42.6%
1.7% 3-point % 0.0%
72.7% Free throw % 88.3%
59.2% True shooting % 49.7%
1,560 Games played 711

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Sharman
2.34× Points vs era avg 1.78×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 0.66×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 1.35×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Sharman's era.

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Sharman
24.3 Points / game 18.5
10.5 Rebounds / game 3.7
3.2 Assists / game 2.6
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
53.0% Field goal % 42.8%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
74.2% Free throw % 90.9%
237 Playoff games 78

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Sharman
6 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 4
18 All-Star selections 8
10 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#2 All-time GOAT rank #37

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