Moses Malone vs Bob Pettit
Moses Malone (1976-1994) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 12 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 20.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Moses Malone was the more efficient scorer (56.9% true shooting to 51.1%). Moses Malone holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #15 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| Moses Malone | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 20.6 | Points / game | 26.4 |
| 12.2 | Rebounds / game | 16.2 |
| 1.3 | Assists / game | 3.0 |
| 0.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.4% | Field goal % | 43.5% |
| 7.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.8% | Free throw % | 76.2% |
| 56.9% | True shooting % | 51.1% |
| 1,329 | Games played | 792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Moses Malone | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 2.00× | Points vs era avg | 2.33× |
| 2.88× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.61× |
| 0.55× | Assists vs era avg | 1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Moses Malone's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
Playoff averages
| Moses Malone | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | Points / game | 25.5 |
| 13.8 | Rebounds / game | 14.8 |
| 1.4 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 0.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.6 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 46.7% | Field goal % | 41.4% |
| 5.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.7% | Free throw % | 77.9% |
| 94 | Playoff games | 88 |
Accolades
| Moses Malone | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 2 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 1 | Championships | 1 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 4 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #15 | All-time GOAT rank | #22 |
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