Cross-era · careers 27 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Nikola Jokic

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Nikola Jokic 2015-2025 · Center · active

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Nikola Jokic (2015-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 27 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 22.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.11× their league average respectively; Nikola Jokic was the more efficient scorer (70.3% 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 Nikola Jokic's #35.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatNikola Jokic
24.6 Points / game 22.2
11.2 Rebounds / game 11.1
3.6 Assists / game 7.5
0.7 Steals / game 1.3
2.0 Blocks / game 0.7
55.9% Field goal % 55.7%
1.7% 3-point % 35.7%
72.7% Free throw % 82.5%
59.2% True shooting % 70.3%
1,560 Games played 810

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatNikola Jokic
2.34× Points vs era avg 2.11×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 2.65×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 3.17×

Advanced metrics

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

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatNikola Jokic
— Offensive rating 116.1
— Defensive rating 108.9
— Net rating 7.3
— Usage % 30.4%
— Assist % 50.3%
— Rebound % 20.7%

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatNikola Jokic
24.3 Points / game 27.4
10.5 Rebounds / game 12.3
3.2 Assists / game 7.6
0.8 Steals / game 1.2
2.0 Blocks / game 0.9
53.0% Field goal % 52.5%
0.0% 3-point % 38.9%
74.2% Free throw % 82.9%
237 Playoff games 94

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatNikola Jokic
6 MVP awards 3
2 Finals MVP 1
6 Championships 1
18 All-Star selections 7
10 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#2 All-time GOAT rank #35

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