The Tape
Was David Robinson better than Giannis Antetokounmpo?
David Robinson, 1989-2003, against Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2013-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, David Robinson is the bigger scorer: 33.5 a game in 1993-94 against 30.1 for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019-20. That is a real gap of 3.4 points, not an era illusion — David Robinson's league averaged 101.5 and Giannis Antetokounmpo's averaged 111.8.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wins the glass by 2.9 rebounds a game (13.6 to 10.7), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
David Robinson: An MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring title closed out with 71 points on the last day of the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo: Two MVPs and a Defensive Player of the Year, on a first step no defensive scheme has solved.
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