Jerry West
1960–61 to 1973–74 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
Jerry West vs. Kyrie Irving: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Jerry West ranks higher in career impact
Kyrie Irving
2011–12 to 2024–25 · 14 seasons
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#7LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#51
+6.4Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+8.2Leads
+6.1Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+6.4Leads
1.3LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better5.7
2LeadsSeasons ranked No. 10
+6,443 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+3,467 pts
Career Impact Rank places Jerry West #7 and Kyrie Irving #51. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Kyrie Irving had the higher single-season impact estimate.
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 calculatedJerry West1.567 · No. 7Kyrie Irving7.673 · No. 51
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.
Jerry West
1.567 composite · No. 7 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.333 | 50% | 0.667 |
| Best 5No. 11964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.600 | 30% | 0.480 |
| Best 10No. 11964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.100 | 20% | 0.420 |
0.667 + 0.480 + 0.420= 1.567
Kyrie Irving
7.673 composite · No. 51 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 42019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 52017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.667 | 50% | 2.833 |
| Best 5No. 42019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 52017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 92018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 112011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 7.400 | 30% | 2.220 |
| Best 10No. 42019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 52017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 92018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 112011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 182020–21No. 182021–22No. 192013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 192022–23No. 202023–24 | 13.100 | 20% | 2.620 |
2.833 + 2.220 + 2.620= 7.673
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 | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #7Better result for this metric. | #51 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 1.3Better result for this metric. | 5.7 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 1.6Better result for this metric. | 7.4 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 2.1Better result for this metric. | 13.1 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #13Better result for this metric. | #63 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +6.4 | +8.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +6.3 | +7.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +6.1 | +6.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +5.6Better result for this metric. | +5.3 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +6,443 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +3,467 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 2Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 13Better result for this metric. | 2 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 14Better result for this metric. | 4 |
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 | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 932 | 779 |
| Minutes | 36,571 | 26,879 |
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 | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 55.0% | 58.4%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 55.6% | 58.8%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 47.4% | 47.4% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | 39.4% |
| Free-throw percentage | 81.4% | 88.8%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 | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 25.6% | 30.6%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 6.7Better result for this metric. | 5.6 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 11.0% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 5.3% | 7.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 5.8Better result for this metric. | 4.1 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 3.6%Better result for this metric. | 1.9% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.1% | 1.2%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Jerry West | Kyrie Irving |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 27.0Better result for this metric. | 23.7 |
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.
Regular Season Impact
Jerry West ranks higher in career impact.
Jerry WestMetricKyrie Irving
#7LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#51
+6.4Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+8.2Leads
+6.1Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+6.4Leads
+6,443 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+3,467 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Jerry WestMetricKyrie Irving
1,000LeadsListed-team regular-season wins642
0.5%Listed-team winning percentage53.8%Leads
12Leads50-win team seasons5
10Leads60-win team seasons0
14LeadsPlayoff team seasons10
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
Jerry West leads every available measure below.
Jerry WestMetricKyrie Irving
13LeadsPlayoff appearances7
153LeadsPlayoff games96
87LeadsTeam playoff wins68
9LeadsFinals appearances4
1Championships1
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.
Jerry WestMetricKyrie Irving
14LeadsAll-Star9
0MVP0
12LeadsAll-NBA3
5LeadsAll-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year1Leads
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.
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.
Jerry WestKyrie IrvingPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
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.
Jerry WestNBA seasonKyrie Irving
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
Observed 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.