LeBron James vs. Mel Thurston Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Mel Thurston and LeBron James that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
LeBron James: 2003-04 to 2025-26
Mel Thurston: 1947-48 to 1947-48

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships LeBron James 4 Mel Thurston 0

NBA Seasons LeBron James 23 Mel Thurston 1

Playoffs Played LeBron James 18 Mel Thurston 0

NBA Cups Won LeBron James 1 * Mel Thurston 0 *

All-Star Games LeBron James 21 Mel Thurston 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP LeBron James 4 Mel Thurston 0 *

Finals MVP LeBron James 4 Mel Thurston 0 *

All-NBA First Team LeBron James 13 Mel Thurston 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) LeBron James 21 Mel Thurston 0

All-Defensive 1st Team LeBron James 5 Mel Thurston 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) LeBron James 6 Mel Thurston 0

Scoring Leader LeBron James 1 Mel Thurston 0

Assists Leader LeBron James 1 Mel Thurston 0

Rookie of The Year LeBron James 1 Mel Thurston 0 *

NBA Cup MVP LeBron James 1 * Mel Thurston 0 *

NBA Cup 1st Team LeBron James 1 * Mel Thurston 0 *

* Notes: NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) played since 2023-24. Season MVP is awarded since 1955-56. Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Rookie of The Year is awarded since 1952-53.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game LeBron James 27.0 Mel Thurston 5.6

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 7.5 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Assists Per Game LeBron James 7.4 Mel Thurston 0.3

Steals Per Game LeBron James 1.5 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 0.7 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points LeBron James 42,429 Mel Thurston 78

Total Rebounds LeBron James 11,795 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Assists LeBron James 11,668 Mel Thurston 4

Total Steals LeBron James 2,355 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Blocks LeBron James 1,158 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Games LeBron James 1,574 Mel Thurston 14

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage LeBron James .506 Mel Thurston .283

3-Point Percentage LeBron James .349 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage LeBron James .737 Mel Thurston .500

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game LeBron James 31.4 (2006) Mel Thurston 5.6 (1948)

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 8.6 (2018) Mel Thurston - n/a **

Assists Per Game LeBron James 10.2 (2020) Mel Thurston 0.3 (1948)

Steals Per Game LeBron James 2.2 (2005) Mel Thurston - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.1 (2009) Mel Thurston - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game LeBron James 28.4 Mel Thurston -

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 9.0 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Assists Per Game LeBron James 7.2 Mel Thurston -

Steals Per Game LeBron James 1.7 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.0 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points LeBron James 8,289 Mel Thurston -

Total Rebounds LeBron James 2,628 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Assists LeBron James 2,095 Mel Thurston -

Total Steals LeBron James 493 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Blocks LeBron James 284 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Total Games LeBron James 292 Mel Thurston 0

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage LeBron James .496 Mel Thurston -

3-Point Percentage LeBron James .333 Mel Thurston - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage LeBron James .741 Mel Thurston -

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game LeBron James 35.3 (2009) Mel Thurston -

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 11.3 (2015) Mel Thurston - n/a **

Assists Per Game LeBron James 9.0 (2018) Mel Thurston -

Steals Per Game LeBron James 2.4 (2024) Mel Thurston - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.8 (2010) Mel Thurston - n/a **

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat. Rebounds started to be recorded in 1950-51, this player has no data for the stat.