Cross-era · careers 20 years apart

Michael Cooper vs Stephen Curry

Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard Stephen Curry 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Michael Cooper (1978-1989) and Stephen Curry (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, Stephen Curry was the higher-volume scorer (24.8 points per game to 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 0.84× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% true shooting to 54.3%). Stephen Curry holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 4 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #16 all-time ranking to Michael Cooper's #65.

Career averages

Michael CooperStatStephen Curry
8.8 Points / game 24.8
3.2 Rebounds / game 4.7
4.2 Assists / game 6.3
1.2 Steals / game 1.5
0.6 Blocks / game 0.3
46.8% Field goal % 47.1%
29.1% 3-point % 42.5%
83.2% Free throw % 91.0%
54.3% True shooting % 64.8%
873 Games played 1,069

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Michael CooperStatStephen Curry
0.84× Points vs era avg 2.50×
0.75× Rebounds vs era avg 1.14×
1.67× Assists vs era avg 2.86×

Advanced metrics

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

Michael CooperStatStephen Curry
— Offensive rating 117.2
— Defensive rating 105.8
— Net rating 11.5
— Usage % 32.5%
— Assist % 27.0%
— Rebound % 6.5%

Playoff averages

Michael CooperStatStephen Curry
9.4 Points / game 26.8
3.4 Rebounds / game 5.3
4.2 Assists / game 6.2
1.2 Steals / game 1.5
0.6 Blocks / game 0.3
46.1% Field goal % 45.4%
32.6% 3-point % 39.8%
77.6% Free throw % 89.1%
168 Playoff games 155

Accolades

Michael CooperStatStephen Curry
0 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
5 Championships 4
0 All-Star selections 10
0 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#65 All-time GOAT rank #16

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