Cross-era · careers 17 years apart
Kobe Bryant vs Rick Barry
Kobe Bryant (1996-2015) and Rick Barry (1965-1979) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 17 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 23.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.63× and 2.19× their league average respectively; Kobe Bryant was the more efficient scorer (54.9% true shooting to 51.0%). Kobe Bryant holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 5 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #6 all-time ranking to Rick Barry's #28.
Career averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|
| 25.0 |
Points / game |
23.1 |
| 5.2 |
Rebounds / game |
6.5 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
5.1 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 44.5% |
Field goal % |
44.7% |
| 32.7% |
3-point % |
3.0% |
| 83.5% |
Free throw % |
90.9% |
| 54.9% |
True shooting % |
51.0% |
| 1,346 |
Games played |
794 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|
| 2.63× |
Points vs era avg |
2.19× |
| 1.26× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.28× |
| 2.21× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.20× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Rick Barry's era.
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|
| 100.8 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 114.6 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| -13.8 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.3% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|
| 25.6 |
Points / game |
24.8 |
| 5.1 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
4.6 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
1.4 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.5 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
42.0% |
| 32.6% |
3-point % |
2.0% |
| 81.1% |
Free throw % |
89.5% |
| 220 |
Playoff games |
74 |
Accolades
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Rick Barry |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 5 |
Championships |
2 |
| 15 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 11 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
9 |
| #6 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#28 |