Cross-era · careers 28 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Bob Pettit

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Bob Pettit 1954-1964 · Forward

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 28 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 23.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Shaquille O'Neal was the more efficient scorer (58.6% true shooting to 51.1%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatBob Pettit
23.7 Points / game 26.4
10.8 Rebounds / game 16.2
2.5 Assists / game 3.0
0.6 Steals / game 0.0
2.3 Blocks / game 0.0
58.5% Field goal % 43.5%
2.2% 3-point % 0.0%
52.6% Free throw % 76.2%
58.6% True shooting % 51.1%
1,207 Games played 792

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatBob Pettit
2.48× Points vs era avg 2.33×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 2.61×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.32×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Shaquille O'Neal.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatBob Pettit
24.3 Points / game 25.5
11.6 Rebounds / game 14.8
2.7 Assists / game 2.7
0.6 Steals / game 0.0
2.1 Blocks / game 0.0
56.3% Field goal % 41.4%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
49.8% Free throw % 77.9%
216 Playoff games 88

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatBob Pettit
1 MVP awards 2
3 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 1
12 All-Star selections 11
8 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#9 All-time GOAT rank #22

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.