Contemporaries · overlapped 2 seasons
Shaquille O'Neal vs James Harden
Shaquille O'Neal and James Harden were contemporaries, their careers overlapping for 2 seasons. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 23.7); James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 58.6%); James Harden created more for others (7.3 assists per game to 2.5). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 23.7 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 10.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 2.5 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.6 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 58.5% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 2.2% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 52.6% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 58.6% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 1,207 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats aren't available for Shaquille O'Neal.
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| — |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 24.3 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 11.6 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 2.7 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.6 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 2.1 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 56.3% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 49.8% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 216 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 3 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 4 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 8 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #9 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |
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