Cross-era · careers 23 years apart

Michael Cooper vs Damian Lillard

Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Michael Cooper (1978-1989) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 23 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 0.84× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 54.3%). Michael Cooper holds the edge on accolades — 5 championships and the #65 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Michael CooperStatDamian Lillard
8.8 Points / game 25.1
3.2 Rebounds / game 4.3
4.2 Assists / game 6.8
1.2 Steals / game 1.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.3
46.8% Field goal % 43.8%
29.1% 3-point % 37.1%
83.2% Free throw % 89.5%
54.3% True shooting % 59.0%
873 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Michael CooperStatDamian Lillard
0.84× Points vs era avg 2.48×
0.75× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
1.67× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Michael Cooper's era.

Michael CooperStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Michael CooperStatDamian Lillard
9.4 Points / game 25.2
3.4 Rebounds / game 4.4
4.2 Assists / game 6.1
1.2 Steals / game 1.2
0.6 Blocks / game 0.3
46.1% Field goal % 40.5%
32.6% 3-point % 35.5%
77.6% Free throw % 88.9%
168 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Michael CooperStatDamian Lillard
0 MVP awards 0
0 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 0
0 All-Star selections 8
0 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#65 All-time GOAT rank #69

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