Cross-era · careers 37 years apart

Wilt Chamberlain vs James Harden

Wilt Chamberlain 1959-1972 · Center James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1972) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 37 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Wilt Chamberlain was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 24.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.56× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 54.7%). Wilt Chamberlain holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #8 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.

Career averages

Wilt ChamberlainStatJames Harden
30.1 Points / game 24.0
22.9 Rebounds / game 5.6
4.4 Assists / game 7.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.5
0.0 Blocks / game 0.6
56.8% Field goal % 43.8%
0.0% 3-point % 36.5%
50.1% Free throw % 86.0%
54.7% True shooting % 64.1%
1,045 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Wilt ChamberlainStatJames Harden
2.56× Points vs era avg 2.39×
3.85× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
2.03× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Wilt Chamberlain's era.

Wilt ChamberlainStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Wilt ChamberlainStatJames Harden
22.5 Points / game 22.5
24.5 Rebounds / game 5.5
4.2 Assists / game 6.5
0.0 Steals / game 1.6
0.0 Blocks / game 0.6
53.1% Field goal % 43.0%
0.0% 3-point % 34.7%
46.6% Free throw % 86.5%
160 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Wilt ChamberlainStatJames Harden
4 MVP awards 1
1 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 0
13 All-Star selections 10
7 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#8 All-time GOAT rank #41

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