Cross-era · careers 2 years apart
Karl Malone vs Chris Paul
Karl Malone (1985-2003) and Chris Paul (2005-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 2 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 16.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.49× and 1.71× their league average respectively; Chris Paul created more for others (9.2 assists per game to 3.6). Karl Malone holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs and the #14 all-time ranking to Chris Paul's #33.
Career averages
| Karl Malone | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 25.0 |
Points / game |
16.8 |
| 10.1 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 3.6 |
Assists / game |
9.2 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
2.0 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 51.4% |
Field goal % |
46.5% |
| 21.1% |
3-point % |
36.6% |
| 73.3% |
Free throw % |
86.9% |
| 57.7% |
True shooting % |
58.1% |
| 1,476 |
Games played |
1,370 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Karl Malone | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 2.49× |
Points vs era avg |
1.71× |
| 2.43× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.06× |
| 1.57× |
Assists vs era avg |
4.23× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats aren't available for Karl Malone.
| Karl Malone | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.9 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
9.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
14.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
30.6% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.1% |
Playoff averages
| Karl Malone | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 24.7 |
Points / game |
20.0 |
| 10.7 |
Rebounds / game |
4.9 |
| 3.2 |
Assists / game |
8.3 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 46.2% |
Field goal % |
48.4% |
| 13.7% |
3-point % |
36.9% |
| 72.7% |
Free throw % |
84.6% |
| 193 |
Playoff games |
149 |
Accolades
| Karl Malone | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 2 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 0 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 11 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #14 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#33 |