Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Karl Malone vs Bob Cousy

Karl Malone (1985-2003) and Bob Cousy (1950-1969) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Karl Malone was the higher-volume scorer (25.0 points per game to 18.4); adjusted for era they scored at 2.49× and 1.80× their league average respectively; Karl Malone was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 44.6%). Bob Cousy holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 6 championships and the #13 all-time ranking to Karl Malone's #14.

Career averages

Karl MaloneStatBob Cousy
25.0 Points / game 18.4
10.1 Rebounds / game 5.2
3.6 Assists / game 7.5
1.4 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
51.4% Field goal % 37.5%
21.1% 3-point % 0.0%
73.3% Free throw % 80.0%
57.7% True shooting % 44.6%
1,476 Games played 924

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Karl MaloneStatBob Cousy
2.49× Points vs era avg 1.80×
2.43× Rebounds vs era avg 0.90×
1.57× Assists vs era avg 3.34×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Karl Malone.

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

Playoff averages

Karl MaloneStatBob Cousy
24.7 Points / game 18.5
10.7 Rebounds / game 5.0
3.2 Assists / game 8.6
1.3 Steals / game 0.0
0.7 Blocks / game 0.0
46.2% Field goal % 34.3%
13.7% 3-point % 0.0%
72.7% Free throw % 79.5%
193 Playoff games 109

Accolades

Karl MaloneStatBob Cousy
2 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
0 Championships 6
12 All-Star selections 13
11 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#14 All-time GOAT rank #13

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