Cade Cunningham vs. LeBron James Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of LeBron James and Cade Cunningham, 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
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.
Cade Cunningham played 4 years in the NBA, 18 less than LeBron James, who played 22. Cade Cunningham had the first of his seasons in 2021-22, while LeBron James had his rookie season in 2003-04. 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 |
| Cade Cunningham | 4 | 1 | 2021-22 to 2024-25 |
| LeBron James | 22 | 18 | 2003-04 to 2024-25 |
Rookie Season |
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| Cade Cunningham | LeBron James | |
| Season | 2021-22 | 2003-04 |
| Team | Detroit Pistons | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Honors & Awards | - |  Rookie of the Year |
| All-Rookie First Team | All-Rookie First Team | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
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Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | 64 | 32.6 | 17.4 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 6.7 | 16.1 | .416 | 1.8 | 5.7 | .314 | 2.2 | 2.6 | .845 |
| difference: | +15 | +6.9 | +3.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | -0.2 | -1.2 | +1.2 | +2.8 | +.001 | +1.0 | +3.0 | +.024 | +2.2 | +3.2 | +.091 | ||
| LeBron James | 79 | 39.5 | 20.9 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 7.9 | 18.9 | .417 | 0.8 | 2.7 | .290 | 4.4 | 5.8 | .754 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Cade Cunningham nor LeBron James played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 2 |
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| Cade Cunningham | LeBron James | |
| Season | 2022-23 | 2004-05 |
| Team | Detroit Pistons | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Honors & Awards | - | All-NBA Second Team |
| - | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
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2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | 12 | 33.3 | 19.9 | 1.0 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 7.8 | 18.7 | .415 | 1.4 | 5.1 | .279 | 3.0 | 3.6 | .837 |
| difference: | +68 | +9.1 | +7.3 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +0.1 | -1.0 | +2.1 | +2.4 | +.057 | +1.2 | +.072 | +3.0 | +4.4 | +.087 | ||
| LeBron James | 80 | 42.4 | 27.2 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 9.9 | 21.1 | .472 | 1.4 | 3.9 | .351 | 6.0 | 8.0 | .750 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Cade Cunningham nor LeBron James played in the postseason in their season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 3 |
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| Cade Cunningham | LeBron James | |
| Season | 2023-24 | 2005-06 |
| Team | Detroit Pistons | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Honors & Awards | - | All-NBA First Team |
| - | All-Star Game | |
| - | All-Star Game MVP | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Cavaliers Lost East Conf Semis |
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | 62 | 33.5 | 22.7 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 8.5 | 18.8 | .449 | 1.9 | 5.4 | .355 | 3.8 | 4.4 | .869 |
| difference: | +17 | +9.0 | +8.7 | +0.4 | +2.3 | +2.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.4 | -0.1 | -0.2 | +2.6 | +4.3 | +.031 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +.020 | +3.8 | +5.9 | +.131 |
| LeBron James | 79 | 42.5 | 31.4 | 0.9 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 11.1 | 23.1 | .480 | 1.6 | 4.8 | .335 | 7.6 | 10.3 | .738 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| LeBron James | 13 | 46.5 | 30.8 | 1.7 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 11.2 | 23.6 | .476 | 1.6 | 4.8 | .333 | 6.7 | 9.1 | .737 |
Season 4 |
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| Cade Cunningham | LeBron James | |
| Season | 2024-25 | 2006-07 |
| Team | Detroit Pistons | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Honors & Awards | - | All-NBA Second Team |
| All-NBA Third Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | All-Star Game | |
| Playoffs | Pistons Lost East Conf 1st Rd | Cavaliers Lost NBA Finals |
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | 70 | 35.0 | 26.1 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 9.8 | 20.8 | .469 | 2.1 | 6.0 | .356 | 4.5 | 5.3 | .846 |
| difference: | +8 | +5.9 | +1.2 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +3.1 | +0.6 | +0.1 | -1.2 | -0.6 | +0.1 | +.007 | +0.8 | +2.0 | +.037 | +1.8 | +3.7 | +.148 | |
| LeBron James | 78 | 40.9 | 27.3 | 1.1 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 9.9 | 20.8 | .476 | 1.3 | 4.0 | .319 | 6.3 | 9.0 | .698 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cade Cunningham | 6 | 41.3 | 25.0 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 8.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 9.2 | 21.5 | .426 | 0.8 | 4.7 | .179 | 5.8 | 7.0 | .833 |
| difference: | +14 | +3.4 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.8 | -2.0 | -1.3 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +.010 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +.101 | +1.6 | +2.8 | +.078 |
| LeBron James | 20 | 44.7 | 25.1 | 1.3 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 8.3 | 20.0 | .416 | 1.1 | 3.8 | .280 | 7.4 | 9.8 | .755 |
Additional Years |
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* LeBron James played 18 seasons more than Cade Cunningham in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 5 to 22, from 2008 to 2025—LeBron James played in 16 Playoffs and won 4 NBA Championships and one NBA Cup. In those 18 extra years over Cade Cunningham, LeBron James got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 4 Finals MVP 4 Season MVP 12 All-NBA First Team 2 All-NBA Second Team 4 All-NBA Third Team 5 All-Defensive First Team 1 All-Defensive Second Team 1 Scoring Leader 1 Assists Leader 1 Cup MVP 1 Cup All-Tournament Team 18 All-Star Game 2 All-Star Game MVP |