Cross-era · careers 20 years apart

Michael Cooper vs James Harden

Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Michael Cooper (1978-1989) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 20 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 0.84× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 54.3%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Michael Cooper's #65.

Career averages

Michael CooperStatJames Harden
8.8 Points / game 24.0
3.2 Rebounds / game 5.6
4.2 Assists / game 7.3
1.2 Steals / game 1.5
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
46.8% Field goal % 43.8%
29.1% 3-point % 36.5%
83.2% Free throw % 86.0%
54.3% True shooting % 64.1%
873 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Michael CooperStatJames Harden
0.84× Points vs era avg 2.39×
0.75× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
1.67× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

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

Michael CooperStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Michael CooperStatJames Harden
9.4 Points / game 22.5
3.4 Rebounds / game 5.5
4.2 Assists / game 6.5
1.2 Steals / game 1.6
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
46.1% Field goal % 43.0%
32.6% 3-point % 34.7%
77.6% Free throw % 86.5%
168 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Michael CooperStatJames Harden
0 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 0
0 All-Star selections 10
0 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#65 All-time GOAT rank #41

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