Cross-era · careers 4 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 4 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the higher-volume scorer (24.6 points per game to 23.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 58.6%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Shaquille O'Neal's #9.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
23.7 Points / game 24.6
10.8 Rebounds / game 11.2
2.5 Assists / game 3.6
0.6 Steals / game 0.7
2.3 Blocks / game 2.0
58.5% Field goal % 55.9%
2.2% 3-point % 1.7%
52.6% Free throw % 72.7%
58.6% True shooting % 59.2%
1,207 Games played 1,560

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
2.48× Points vs era avg 2.34×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 2.40×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.51×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
24.3 Points / game 24.3
11.6 Rebounds / game 10.5
2.7 Assists / game 3.2
0.6 Steals / game 0.8
2.1 Blocks / game 2.0
56.3% Field goal % 53.0%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
49.8% Free throw % 74.2%
216 Playoff games 237

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
1 MVP awards 6
3 Finals MVP 2
4 Championships 6
12 All-Star selections 18
8 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#9 All-time GOAT rank #2

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