Cross-era · careers 29 years apart

Michael Cooper vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Michael Cooper (1978-1989) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 29 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 0.84× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 54.3%). Michael Cooper holds the edge on accolades — 5 championships and the #65 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Michael CooperStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
8.8 Points / game 25.3
3.2 Rebounds / game 4.7
4.2 Assists / game 5.3
1.2 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 0.8
46.8% Field goal % 50.4%
29.1% 3-point % 35.9%
83.2% Free throw % 85.1%
54.3% True shooting % 70.3%
873 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Michael CooperStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
0.84× Points vs era avg 2.37×
0.75× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
1.67× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Michael CooperStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Michael CooperStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
9.4 Points / game 25.8
3.4 Rebounds / game 5.4
4.2 Assists / game 5.7
1.2 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 1.0
46.1% Field goal % 46.6%
32.6% 3-point % 36.1%
77.6% Free throw % 86.7%
168 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Michael CooperStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
0 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
5 Championships 1
0 All-Star selections 3
0 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#65 All-time GOAT rank #68

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