Cross-era · careers 6 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Julius Erving

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Julius Erving 1976-1986 · Forward

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Julius Erving (1976-1986) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 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 22.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 2.09× their league average respectively; Shaquille O'Neal was the more efficient scorer (58.6% true shooting to 55.8%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Julius Erving's #21.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatJulius Erving
23.7 Points / game 22.0
10.8 Rebounds / game 6.7
2.5 Assists / game 3.9
0.6 Steals / game 1.8
2.3 Blocks / game 1.5
58.5% Field goal % 50.6%
2.2% 3-point % 18.6%
52.6% Free throw % 77.9%
58.6% True shooting % 55.8%
1,207 Games played 836

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatJulius Erving
2.48× Points vs era avg 2.09×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 1.53×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.55×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatJulius Erving
24.3 Points / game 21.9
11.6 Rebounds / game 7.0
2.7 Assists / game 4.2
0.6 Steals / game 1.7
2.1 Blocks / game 1.7
56.3% Field goal % 48.4%
0.0% 3-point % 8.0%
49.8% Free throw % 78.1%
216 Playoff games 141

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatJulius Erving
1 MVP awards 1
3 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 3
12 All-Star selections 11
8 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#9 All-time GOAT rank #21

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