Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Tim Duncan vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Tim Duncan 1997-2015 · Center-Forward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center

Tim Duncan (1997-2015) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 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 19.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 55.1%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Tim Duncan's #4.

Career averages

Tim DuncanStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
19.0 Points / game 24.6
10.8 Rebounds / game 11.2
3.0 Assists / game 3.6
0.7 Steals / game 0.7
2.2 Blocks / game 2.0
50.5% Field goal % 55.9%
14.1% 3-point % 1.7%
70.1% Free throw % 72.7%
55.1% True shooting % 59.2%
1,392 Games played 1,560

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Tim DuncanStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
2.00× Points vs era avg 2.34×
2.61× Rebounds vs era avg 2.40×
1.44× Assists vs era avg 1.51×

Advanced metrics

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

Tim DuncanStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
107.4 Offensive rating —
97.7 Defensive rating —
9.8 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.2% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Tim DuncanStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
20.6 Points / game 24.3
11.4 Rebounds / game 10.5
3.1 Assists / game 3.2
0.7 Steals / game 0.8
2.3 Blocks / game 2.0
50.1% Field goal % 53.0%
11.5% 3-point % 0.0%
69.1% Free throw % 74.2%
251 Playoff games 237

Accolades

Tim DuncanStatKareem Abdul-Jabbar
2 MVP awards 6
3 Finals MVP 2
5 Championships 6
15 All-Star selections 18
10 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#4 All-time GOAT rank #2

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