George Gervin vs. Bob Pettit Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bob Pettit and George Gervin, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

George Gervin played 10 years in the NBA, 1 less than Bob Pettit, who played 11. George Gervin had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Bob Pettit had his rookie season in 1954-55. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achievements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
George Gervin 10 9 1976-77 to 1985-86
Bob Pettit 11 9 1954-55 to 1964-65

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Rookie Season

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1976-771954-55
Team San Antonio SpursMilwaukee Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 82 33.0 23.1 1.6 3.9 5.5 2.9 1.3 1.3 - 3.5 8.9 16.3 .544 - - - 5.4 6.5 .833
difference:+10+3.9+2.7+8.3+0.3-0.1+1.7+1.5+.137+0.5+1.4+.082
Bob Pettit 72 36.9 20.4 - - 13.8 3.2 - - - 3.6 7.2 17.8 .407 - - - 5.9 7.9 .751
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 2 31.0 25.0 2.5 3.0 5.5 1.5 0.5 1.0 - 4.5 9.5 22.0 .432 - - - 6.0 7.5 .800
Bob Pettit DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1977-781955-56
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring LeaderAchievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf SemisHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 82 34.8 27.2 1.4 3.7 5.1 3.7 1.7 1.3 3.7 3.1 10.5 19.6 .536 - - - 6.1 7.4 .830
difference:+10+4.0+1.5+11.1+1.1-0.3+1.5+1.3+.107+1.6+3.1+.094
Bob Pettit 72 38.8 25.7 - - 16.2 2.6 - - - 2.8 9.0 20.9 .429 - - - 7.7 10.5 .736
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 6 37.8 33.2 1.8 3.8 5.7 3.2 1.0 2.7 3.2 3.8 13.0 23.7 .549 - - - 7.2 9.3 .768
difference:+2+3.5+14.1+4.8+0.9-1.3+7.1+7.7+.182+0.2+0.5+.075
Bob Pettit 8 34.3 19.1 - - 10.5 2.3 - - - 2.5 5.9 16.0 .367 - - - 7.4 8.8 .843

Season 3

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1978-791956-57
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf FinalsHawks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 80 36.1 29.6 1.8 3.2 5.0 2.7 1.7 1.1 3.6 3.4 11.8 21.9 .541 - - - 5.9 7.1 .826
difference:+9+1.0+4.9+9.6+0.8-0.9+3.2+1.1+.126+1.6+2.5+.053
Bob Pettit 71 35.1 24.7 - - 14.6 1.9 - - - 2.5 8.6 20.8 .415 - - - 7.5 9.6 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 14 36.6 28.6 2.4 3.5 5.9 2.5 1.9 1.0 2.9 3.6 11.3 21.1 .536 - - - 6.0 7.4 .808
difference:+4+6.4+1.2+10.9-0.3+1.5+2.6+.122+4.2+5.9+.041
Bob Pettit 10 43.0 29.8 - - 16.8 2.5 - - - 3.3 9.8 23.7 .414 - - - 10.2 13.3 .767

Season 4

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1979-801957-58
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVPAchievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Spurs Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 78 37.6 33.1 2.0 3.2 5.2 2.6 1.4 1.0 3.3 2.7 13.1 24.9 .528 0.4 1.3 .314 6.5 7.6 .852
difference:+8+1.5+8.5+12.2+0.4-0.5+4.8+4.6+.118+1.5+3.0+.103
Bob Pettit 70 36.1 24.6 - - 17.4 2.2 - - - 3.2 8.3 20.3 .410 - - - 8.0 10.6 .749
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 3 40.7 33.3 3.0 3.7 6.7 4.0 1.7 1.0 3.0 2.7 12.3 24.7 .500 0.0 0.7 .000 8.7 10.0 .867
difference:+8+1.6+9.1+9.8+2.2-0.1+4.1+3.8+.109+0.9+0.7+.138
Bob Pettit 11 39.1 24.2 - - 16.5 1.8 - - - 2.8 8.2 20.9 .391 - - - 7.8 10.7 .729

Season 5

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1980-811958-59
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf SemisHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 82 33.7 27.1 1.5 3.6 5.1 3.2 1.1 0.7 3.1 2.6 10.4 21.1 .492 0.1 0.4 .257 6.2 7.6 .826
difference:+10+6.2+2.1+11.3+0.1-0.2+0.4+1.7+.054+3.1+4.6+.067
Bob Pettit 72 39.9 29.2 - - 16.4 3.1 - - - 2.8 10.0 22.8 .438 - - - 9.3 12.2 .759
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 7 39.1 27.1 1.3 3.7 5.0 3.4 0.7 0.7 2.9 2.7 11.0 22.0 .500 0.0 0.4 .000 5.1 6.4 .800
difference:+1+3.7+0.7+7.5+1.1-0.6+1.3+0.8+.077+3.4+4.4+.015
Bob Pettit 6 42.8 27.8 - - 12.5 2.3 - - - 3.3 9.7 22.8 .423 - - - 8.5 10.8 .785

Season 6

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1981-821959-60
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf FinalsHawks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 79 35.7 32.3 1.7 3.2 5.0 2.4 1.0 0.6 2.7 2.7 12.6 25.2 .500 0.1 0.5 .278 7.0 8.1 .864
difference:+7+4.5+6.2+12.0+1.2-0.1+3.3+4.0+.062+0.6+1.9+.111
Bob Pettit 72 40.2 26.1 - - 17.0 3.6 - - - 2.8 9.3 21.2 .438 - - - 7.6 10.0 .753
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 9 41.4 29.4 2.1 5.2 7.3 4.6 1.1 0.4 3.4 4.0 11.4 25.3 .452 0.0 0.3 .000 6.6 7.9 .831
difference:+5+0.3+3.3+8.5+0.9-0.9+2.2+4.4+.010+1.0+2.2+.077
Bob Pettit 14 41.1 26.1 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 3.1 9.2 20.9 .442 - - - 7.6 10.1 .754

Season 7

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1982-831960-61
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf FinalsHawks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 78 36.3 26.2 1.4 3.2 4.6 3.4 1.1 0.9 3.2 3.1 9.7 19.9 .487 0.2 0.4 .364 6.6 7.8 .853
difference:+2+3.5+1.7+15.7-0.2+0.4+2.7+.040+1.1+2.8+.129
Bob Pettit 76 39.8 27.9 - - 20.3 3.4 - - - 2.9 10.1 22.6 .447 - - - 7.7 10.6 .724
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 11 39.7 25.2 1.9 4.8 6.7 3.4 1.1 0.4 4.2 3.5 9.8 18.9 .519 0.0 0.2 .000 5.5 6.3 .884
difference:+1+4.1+3.4+10.9+0.2+4.8+.107+3.6+5.7+.127
Bob Pettit 12 43.8 28.6 - - 17.6 3.2 - - - 3.5 9.8 23.7 .412 - - - 9.1 12.0 .757

Season 8

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1983-841961-62
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 76 34.0 25.9 1.4 2.7 4.1 2.9 1.0 0.6 2.9 2.9 10.1 20.5 .490 0.1 0.3 .417 5.6 6.7 .842
difference:+2+8.1+5.2+14.6+0.8-0.9+1.0+4.2+.040+3.3+4.9+.071
Bob Pettit 78 42.1 31.1 - - 18.7 3.7 - - - 3.8 11.1 24.7 .450 - - - 8.9 11.6 .771
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher George Gervin nor Bob Pettit played in the postseason in their season 8

Season 9

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1984-851962-63
Team San Antonio SpursSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf 1st RdHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 72 29.0 21.2 1.1 2.2 3.3 2.5 0.9 0.7 2.8 2.9 8.3 16.4 .508 0.0 0.1 .000 4.5 5.3 .844
difference:+7+10.1+7.2+11.8+0.6-0.7+1.5+5.7+.062+4.2+5.9+.070
Bob Pettit 79 39.1 28.4 - - 15.1 3.1 - - - 3.6 9.8 22.1 .446 - - - 8.7 11.2 .774
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 5 36.6 22.2 0.6 3.0 3.6 2.8 0.6 0.6 4.0 3.8 8.4 15.8 .532 0.0 0.6 .000 5.4 6.8 .794
difference:+6+5.5+9.6+11.5+0.2-0.7+2.4+7.7+.073+4.8+6.3+.016
Bob Pettit 11 42.1 31.8 - - 15.1 3.0 - - - 3.1 10.8 23.5 .459 - - - 10.2 13.1 .778

Season 10

George Gervin Bob Pettit
Season 1985-861963-64
Team Chicago BullsSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 82 25.2 16.2 1.0 1.7 2.6 1.8 0.6 0.3 2.0 2.6 6.3 13.4 .472 0.0 0.2 .211 3.5 3.9 .879
difference:+2+16.0+11.2+12.7+1.4-1.2+3.6+8.0+.009+4.1+5.7+.090
Bob Pettit 80 41.2 27.4 - - 15.3 3.2 - - - 3.8 9.9 21.4 .463 - - - 7.6 9.6 .789
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
George Gervin 2 5.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.5 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
difference:+10+35.7+21.0+14.0+2.3-2.2+7.8+18.3+.412+5.5+6.6
Bob Pettit 12 41.2 21.0 - - 14.5 2.8 - - - 3.7 7.8 18.8 .412 - - - 5.5 6.6 .835

Additional Years

* Bob Pettit played 1 season more than George Gervin in the NBA.

In that period—his season 11 in 1965—Bob Pettit played in the Playoffs.

In that extra year over George Gervin, Bob Pettit got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 1 All-Star Game