Cross-era · careers 13 years apart

Karl Malone vs Wilt Chamberlain

Karl Malone 1985-2003 · Forward Wilt Chamberlain 1959-1972 · Center

Karl Malone (1985-2003) and Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1972) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 13 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Wilt Chamberlain was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 25.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.49× and 2.56× their league average respectively; Karl Malone was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 54.7%). Wilt Chamberlain holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #8 all-time ranking to Karl Malone's #14.

Career averages

Karl MaloneStatWilt Chamberlain
25.0 Points / game 30.1
10.1 Rebounds / game 22.9
3.6 Assists / game 4.4
1.4 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
51.4% Field goal % 56.8%
21.1% 3-point % 0.0%
73.3% Free throw % 50.1%
57.7% True shooting % 54.7%
1,476 Games played 1,045

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Karl MaloneStatWilt Chamberlain
2.49× Points vs era avg 2.56×
2.43× Rebounds vs era avg 3.85×
1.57× Assists vs era avg 2.03×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Karl Malone.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Wilt Chamberlain's era.

Playoff averages

Karl MaloneStatWilt Chamberlain
24.7 Points / game 22.5
10.7 Rebounds / game 24.5
3.2 Assists / game 4.2
1.3 Steals / game 0.0
0.7 Blocks / game 0.0
46.2% Field goal % 53.1%
13.7% 3-point % 0.0%
72.7% Free throw % 46.6%
193 Playoff games 160

Accolades

Karl MaloneStatWilt Chamberlain
2 MVP awards 4
0 Finals MVP 1
0 Championships 2
12 All-Star selections 13
11 All-NBA 1st Team 7
#14 All-time GOAT rank #8

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