Shaquille O'Neal vs Jerry West
Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Jerry West (1960-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 19 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 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 55.0%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Jerry West's #23.
Career averages
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 23.7 | Points / game | 27.0 |
| 10.8 | Rebounds / game | 5.8 |
| 2.5 | Assists / game | 6.7 |
| 0.6 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 2.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 58.5% | Field goal % | 47.4% |
| 2.2% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 52.6% | Free throw % | 81.4% |
| 58.6% | True shooting % | 55.0% |
| 1,207 | Games played | 932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 2.48× | Points vs era avg | 2.34× |
| 2.60× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.99× |
| 1.16× | Assists vs era avg | 2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats aren't available for Shaquille O'Neal.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
Playoff averages
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 24.3 | Points / game | 29.1 |
| 11.6 | Rebounds / game | 5.6 |
| 2.7 | Assists / game | 6.3 |
| 0.6 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 2.1 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 56.3% | Field goal % | 46.6% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 49.8% | Free throw % | 79.1% |
| 216 | Playoff games | 153 |
Accolades
| Shaquille O'Neal | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 3 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 4 | Championships | 1 |
| 12 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 8 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #9 | All-time GOAT rank | #23 |
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