Cross-era · careers 5 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Bob Pettit

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Bob Pettit 1954-1964 · Forward

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 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 24.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 51.1%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBob Pettit
24.6 Points / game 26.4
11.2 Rebounds / game 16.2
3.6 Assists / game 3.0
0.7 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
55.9% Field goal % 43.5%
1.7% 3-point % 0.0%
72.7% Free throw % 76.2%
59.2% True shooting % 51.1%
1,560 Games played 792

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBob Pettit
2.34× Points vs era avg 2.33×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 2.61×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 1.32×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBob Pettit
24.3 Points / game 25.5
10.5 Rebounds / game 14.8
3.2 Assists / game 2.7
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
53.0% Field goal % 41.4%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
74.2% Free throw % 77.9%
237 Playoff games 88

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBob Pettit
6 MVP awards 2
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 1
18 All-Star selections 11
10 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#2 All-time GOAT rank #22

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