Cross-era · careers 30 years apart
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 30 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 24.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.
Career averages
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stat | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|
| 24.6 |
Points / game |
25.3 |
| 11.2 |
Rebounds / game |
4.7 |
| 3.6 |
Assists / game |
5.3 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.8 |
| 55.9% |
Field goal % |
50.4% |
| 1.7% |
3-point % |
35.9% |
| 72.7% |
Free throw % |
85.1% |
| 59.2% |
True shooting % |
70.3% |
| 1,560 |
Games played |
530 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stat | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|
| 2.34× |
Points vs era avg |
2.37× |
| 2.40× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.12× |
| 1.51× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.19× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stat | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
112.7 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
111.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
1.3 |
| — |
Usage % |
33.4% |
| — |
Assist % |
35.0% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.0% |
Playoff averages
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stat | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|
| 24.3 |
Points / game |
25.8 |
| 10.5 |
Rebounds / game |
5.4 |
| 3.2 |
Assists / game |
5.7 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
1.0 |
| 53.0% |
Field goal % |
46.6% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.1% |
| 74.2% |
Free throw % |
86.7% |
| 237 |
Playoff games |
46 |
Accolades
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stat | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|
| 6 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 6 |
Championships |
1 |
| 18 |
All-Star selections |
3 |
| 10 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #2 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#68 |
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