The Tape
Was Hakeem Olajuwon better than Dirk Nowitzki?
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, against Dirk Nowitzki, 1998-2019. 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, their best seasons score the same: Hakeem Olajuwon at 30.7 a game in 1993-94, Dirk Nowitzki at 31.3 in 2005-06. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Hakeem Olajuwon wins the glass by 2.9 rebounds a game (11.9 to 9), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
Hakeem Olajuwon: The only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in one season, and the all-time leader in blocks. Dirk Nowitzki: The 7-footer who made the fadeaway jumper a franchise, 10 years before every big man had to shoot.
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