No way, Kareem. It really depends how you rate them when they were at the top of their game. Heck, Walton was better in peak years than Kareem; even John Wooden said so. The problem was that Walton had injuries that shortened his career and prevented him from reaching his potential, much like Mickey Mantle.
Uhhh what? Kareem KILLS Bill Walton. Take Walton's peak years. Age 22-25. 18ppg 14rpg. Very good numbers.
Take Kareem's peak years. Age 22-33 11 years! Averages regularly over 30ppg and 15ish rpg. At least 3 blocks. Wins SIX league MVPs.
Wooden must have lost his damn mind about that comment. Hell in the first meeting head to head Kareem put 50/15 on Walton's 7/6.
Chamberlain in his last year outplayed Kareem in the NBA finals
Reg. season (head-to-head)
Abdul-Jabbar: 31.8 PPG, 15.8 RPG Chamberlain: 16.3 PPG, 17.6 RPG
Postseason (head-to-head)
Abdul-Jabbar: 29.7 PPG, 17.9 RPG Chamberlain: 15.9 PPG, 19.1 RPG
Hakeem regularly ate Kareem for breakfast. Kareem was not quick enough to guard Hakeem.
Regular Season
Player G W L GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 18 5 18 24.3 9.4 15.5 .607 0.0 0.0 3.7 4.8 .782 2.1 4.3 6.6 1.9 0.6 1.4 2.6 2.9 22.5
Hakeem Olajuwon 23 5 18 18 29.9 9.0 17.7 .510 0.0 0.0 4.3 7.3 .599 4.7 7.1 11.9 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.7 4.3 22.3
And if you look at the early head to head match ups Kareem put 30 or more on Hakeem 7 times.