Player comparisons from different eras are difficult for a number of reasons. Aside from the players themselves, the game has changed substantially over the years.

Counting awards would seem to give an inherent advantage to more recent players, as the the league has added numerous awards over the years, and has also increased the number selections for the All-Star and All NBA teams. On the flip side, there were fewer teams in the league, so even with fewer selections, a higher percentage of players made the cut.

And with the 3 point shot added in the 80’s, the potential scoring opportunities have increased. Of course the rebounds per game have dropped substantially, so those numbers have universally declined. The number of rounds of playoffs has also changed, making it more difficult to compare championships.

For the calculations on this site, we have just accepted that many of these factors balance each other out. We add up the awards we can count, and don’t worry about the ones that didn’t exist at a given point in time.

To get a better idea of the differences, the following table compares four different seasons, each 15 years apart.

*First round bye for top 2 (1960) or top 6 (1975) seeds