Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Elgin Baylor

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Elgin Baylor 1958-1971 · Forward

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elgin Baylor was the higher-volume scorer (27.4 points per game to 23.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Shaquille O'Neal was the more efficient scorer (58.6% true shooting to 49.4%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Elgin Baylor's #30.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatElgin Baylor
23.7 Points / game 27.4
10.8 Rebounds / game 13.5
2.5 Assists / game 4.3
0.6 Steals / game 0.0
2.3 Blocks / game 0.0
58.5% Field goal % 43.1%
2.2% 3-point % 0.0%
52.6% Free throw % 78.0%
58.6% True shooting % 49.4%
1,207 Games played 846

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatElgin Baylor
2.48× Points vs era avg 2.34×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 2.21×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.97×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatElgin Baylor
24.3 Points / game 27.0
11.6 Rebounds / game 12.9
2.7 Assists / game 4.0
0.6 Steals / game 0.0
2.1 Blocks / game 0.0
56.3% Field goal % 43.4%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
49.8% Free throw % 75.3%
216 Playoff games 134

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatElgin Baylor
1 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 1
12 All-Star selections 11
8 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#9 All-time GOAT rank #30

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