Cross-era · careers 8 years apart

Kobe Bryant vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kobe Bryant 1996-2015 · Forward-Guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center

Kobe Bryant (1996-2015) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 8 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kobe Bryant was the higher-volume scorer (25.0 points per game to 24.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.63× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 54.9%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Kobe Bryant's #6.

Career averages

Kobe BryantStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
25.0 Points / game 24.6
5.2 Rebounds / game 11.2
4.7 Assists / game 3.6
1.4 Steals / game 0.7
0.5 Blocks / game 2.0
44.5% Field goal % 55.9%
32.7% 3-point % 1.7%
83.5% Free throw % 72.7%
54.9% True shooting % 59.2%
1,346 Games played 1,560

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kobe BryantStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
2.63× Points vs era avg 2.34×
1.26× Rebounds vs era avg 2.40×
2.21× Assists vs era avg 1.51×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

Kobe BryantStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
100.8 Offensive rating —
114.6 Defensive rating —
-13.8 Net rating —
0.3% Usage % —
0.2% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Kobe BryantStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
25.6 Points / game 24.3
5.1 Rebounds / game 10.5
4.7 Assists / game 3.2
1.4 Steals / game 0.8
0.7 Blocks / game 2.0
44.4% Field goal % 53.0%
32.6% 3-point % 0.0%
81.1% Free throw % 74.2%
220 Playoff games 237

Accolades

Kobe BryantStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
1 MVP awards 6
2 Finals MVP 2
5 Championships 6
15 All-Star selections 18
11 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#6 All-time GOAT rank #2

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.