Cross-era · careers 15 years apart

Karl Malone vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Karl Malone 1985-2003 · Forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Karl Malone (1985-2003) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 15 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 25.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.49× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 57.7%). Karl Malone holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs and the #14 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Karl MaloneStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
25.0 Points / game 25.3
10.1 Rebounds / game 4.7
3.6 Assists / game 5.3
1.4 Steals / game 1.4
0.8 Blocks / game 0.8
51.4% Field goal % 50.4%
21.1% 3-point % 35.9%
73.3% Free throw % 85.1%
57.7% True shooting % 70.3%
1,476 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Karl MaloneStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
2.49× Points vs era avg 2.37×
2.43× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
1.57× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Karl Malone.

Karl MaloneStatShai 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

Karl MaloneStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
24.7 Points / game 25.8
10.7 Rebounds / game 5.4
3.2 Assists / game 5.7
1.3 Steals / game 1.4
0.7 Blocks / game 1.0
46.2% Field goal % 46.6%
13.7% 3-point % 36.1%
72.7% Free throw % 86.7%
193 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Karl MaloneStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
2 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
0 Championships 1
12 All-Star selections 3
11 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#14 All-time GOAT rank #68

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