Cross-era · careers 6 years apart
Karl Malone vs James Harden
Karl Malone (1985-2003) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 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 24.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.49× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 57.7%). Karl Malone holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs and the #14 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| Karl Malone | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 25.0 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 10.1 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 3.6 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 51.4% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 21.1% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 73.3% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 57.7% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 1,476 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Karl Malone | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 2.49× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 2.43× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 1.57× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats aren't available for Karl Malone.
| Karl Malone | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| — |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Karl Malone | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 24.7 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 10.7 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 3.2 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 46.2% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 13.7% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 72.7% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 193 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Karl Malone | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 2 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 0 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 11 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #14 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |