Allen Iverson
1996–97 to 2009–10 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
Allen Iverson vs. James Harden: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
James Harden ranks higher in career impact so far
James Harden
2009–10 to 2025–26 · 17 seasons · active
Impact comparison
#72Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#20Leads
+5.7Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+10.3Leads
+5.3Best 5 average impact+9.0Leads
7.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better1.3Leads
0Seasons ranked No. 12Leads
+3,981 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+6,560 ptsLeads
Career Impact Rank places James Harden #20 and Allen Iverson #72. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedAllen Iverson10.793 · No. 72James Harden2.747 · No. 20
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Allen Iverson
10.793 composite · No. 72 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 62000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 7.667 | 50% | 3.833 |
| Best 5No. 62000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 132004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 171997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 10.600 | 30% | 3.180 |
| Best 10No. 62000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 132004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 171997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 172005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 272002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 342007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 382003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 18.900 | 20% | 3.780 |
3.833 + 3.180 + 3.780= 10.793
James Harden
2.747 composite · No. 20 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.333 | 50% | 0.667 |
| Best 5No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.400 | 30% | 0.720 |
| Best 10No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 92020–21No. 142013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 202022–23 | 6.800 | 20% | 1.360 |
0.667 + 0.720 + 1.360= 2.747
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #72 | #20Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finish | 7.7 | 1.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finish | 10.6 | 2.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 18.9 | 6.8Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #48 | #11Better result for this metric. |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +5.7 | +10.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average impact | +5.5 | +9.5Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average impact | +5.3 | +9.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average impact | +4.3 | +7.2Better result for this metric. |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +3,981 pts | +6,560 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 2Better result for this metric. |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 5Better result for this metric. |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 3 | 8Better result for this metric. |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 914 | 1,221 |
| Minutes | 37,584 | 42,449 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 51.8% | 60.8%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 51.7% | 61.2%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 42.5% | 43.9%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 31.3% | 36.4%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 78.0% | 86.3%Better result for this metric. |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 28.8% | 38.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 6.2 | 7.3Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 11.6%Better result for this metric. | 15.7% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 5.3% | 9.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 3.7 | 5.6Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.9%Better result for this metric. | 2.2% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.3% | 1.5%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Allen Iverson | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 26.7Better result for this metric. | 24.0 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
James Harden ranks higher in career impact so far.
Allen IversonMetricJames Harden
#72Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#20Leads
+5.7Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+10.3Leads
+5.3Best 5 average impact+9.0Leads
+3,981 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+6,560 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
James Harden leads every available measure below.
Allen IversonMetricJames Harden
681Listed-team regular-season wins974Leads
50.0%Listed-team winning percentage61.1%Leads
350-win team seasons12Leads
060-win team seasons1Leads
10Playoff team seasons18Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
James Harden leads every available measure below.
Allen IversonMetricJames Harden
8Playoff appearances17Leads
71Playoff games191Leads
30Team playoff wins99Leads
1Finals appearances1
0Championships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Allen IversonMetricJames Harden
11All-Star11
1MVP1
7All-NBA8Leads
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
1LeadsRookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Allen IversonJames HardenPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Allen IversonNBA seasonJames Harden
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
Season 14
No season
Season 15No season
Season 16No season
Season 17Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.