Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs James Harden

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 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 24.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 59.2%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatJames Harden
24.6 Points / game 24.0
11.2 Rebounds / game 5.6
3.6 Assists / game 7.3
0.7 Steals / game 1.5
2.0 Blocks / game 0.6
55.9% Field goal % 43.8%
1.7% 3-point % 36.5%
72.7% Free throw % 86.0%
59.2% True shooting % 64.1%
1,560 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatJames Harden
2.34× Points vs era avg 2.39×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

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

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatJames Harden
24.3 Points / game 22.5
10.5 Rebounds / game 5.5
3.2 Assists / game 6.5
0.8 Steals / game 1.6
2.0 Blocks / game 0.6
53.0% Field goal % 43.0%
0.0% 3-point % 34.7%
74.2% Free throw % 86.5%
237 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatJames Harden
6 MVP awards 1
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 0
18 All-Star selections 10
10 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#2 All-time GOAT rank #41

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