Cross-era · careers 17 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Chris Paul

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Chris Paul 2005-2025 · Guard · active

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Chris Paul (2005-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 17 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 16.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 1.71× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 58.1%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Chris Paul's #33.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatChris Paul
24.6 Points / game 16.8
11.2 Rebounds / game 4.4
3.6 Assists / game 9.2
0.7 Steals / game 2.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.2
55.9% Field goal % 46.5%
1.7% 3-point % 36.6%
72.7% Free throw % 86.9%
59.2% True shooting % 58.1%
1,560 Games played 1,370

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatChris Paul
2.34× Points vs era avg 1.71×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 1.06×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 4.23×

Advanced metrics

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

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatChris Paul
— Offensive rating 114.9
— Defensive rating 105.9
— Net rating 9.0
— Usage % 14.2%
— Assist % 30.6%
— Rebound % 7.1%

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatChris Paul
24.3 Points / game 20.0
10.5 Rebounds / game 4.9
3.2 Assists / game 8.3
0.8 Steals / game 1.9
2.0 Blocks / game 0.2
53.0% Field goal % 48.4%
0.0% 3-point % 36.9%
74.2% Free throw % 84.6%
237 Playoff games 149

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatChris Paul
6 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 0
18 All-Star selections 11
10 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#2 All-time GOAT rank #33

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