Michael Jordan vs Bob Pettit
Michael Jordan (1984-2002) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) 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, Michael Jordan was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 26.4); adjusted for era they scored at 2.94× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Michael Jordan was the more efficient scorer (56.9% true shooting to 51.1%). Michael Jordan holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 6 championships, 6 Finals MVPs and the #1 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| Michael Jordan | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 30.1 | Points / game | 26.4 |
| 6.2 | Rebounds / game | 16.2 |
| 5.3 | Assists / game | 3.0 |
| 2.4 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.8 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 49.6% | Field goal % | 43.5% |
| 28.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 83.3% | Free throw % | 76.2% |
| 56.9% | True shooting % | 51.1% |
| 1,072 | Games played | 792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Michael Jordan | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 2.94× | Points vs era avg | 2.33× |
| 1.50× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.61× |
| 2.24× | Assists vs era avg | 1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats aren't available for Michael Jordan.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
Playoff averages
| Michael Jordan | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 33.5 | Points / game | 25.5 |
| 6.4 | Rebounds / game | 14.8 |
| 5.7 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 2.1 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.9 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.8% | Field goal % | 41.4% |
| 34.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 83.0% | Free throw % | 77.9% |
| 179 | Playoff games | 88 |
Accolades
| Michael Jordan | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | MVP awards | 2 |
| 6 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 6 | Championships | 1 |
| 13 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 10 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #1 | All-time GOAT rank | #22 |
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