Cross-era · careers 10 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Dave Cowens

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 10 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shaquille O'Neal was the higher-volume scorer (23.7 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 1.69× their league average respectively; Shaquille O'Neal was the more efficient scorer (58.6% true shooting to 49.5%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatDave Cowens
23.7 Points / game 17.6
10.8 Rebounds / game 13.6
2.5 Assists / game 3.8
0.6 Steals / game 0.8
2.3 Blocks / game 0.6
58.5% Field goal % 45.9%
2.2% 3-point % 0.7%
52.6% Free throw % 78.5%
58.6% True shooting % 49.5%
1,207 Games played 766

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatDave Cowens
2.48× Points vs era avg 1.69×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 2.82×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.63×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatDave Cowens
24.3 Points / game 18.9
11.6 Rebounds / game 14.4
2.7 Assists / game 3.7
0.6 Steals / game 0.9
2.1 Blocks / game 0.6
56.3% Field goal % 45.3%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
49.8% Free throw % 76.4%
216 Playoff games 89

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatDave Cowens
1 MVP awards 1
3 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 2
12 All-Star selections 6
8 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#9 All-time GOAT rank #51

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