LaMelo Ball vs. Serge Ibaka Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Serge Ibaka and LaMelo Ball, 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 / 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.

LaMelo Ball played 5 years in the NBA, 9 less than Serge Ibaka, who played 14. LaMelo Ball had the first of his seasons in 2020-21, while Serge Ibaka had his rookie season in 2009-10. 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
LaMelo Ball 5 0 2020-21 to 2024-25
Serge Ibaka 14 12 2009-10 to 2022-23

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5

Rookie Season

LaMelo Ball Serge Ibaka
Season 2020-212009-10
Team Charlotte HornetsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 51 28.8 15.7 1.2 4.7 5.9 6.1 1.6 0.4 2.8 2.7 5.7 13.2 .436 1.8 5.1 .352 2.5 3.2 .758
difference:+22+10.7+9.4+0.7+1.2+0.5+6.0+1.3+0.9-1.9+2.9+8.1+.107+1.8+5.1+1.7+1.9+.128
Serge Ibaka 73 18.1 6.3 1.9 3.5 5.4 0.1 0.3 1.3 0.9 2.7 2.8 5.1 .543 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.3 .630
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Serge Ibaka 6 25.5 7.8 2.2 4.3 6.5 0.3 0.3 2.0 1.0 3.2 3.3 5.8 .571 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.7 .700

Season 2

LaMelo Ball Serge Ibaka
Season 2021-222010-11
Team Charlotte HornetsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 75 32.3 20.1 1.4 5.2 6.7 7.6 1.6 0.4 3.3 3.2 7.2 16.7 .429 2.9 7.5 .389 2.8 3.2 .872
difference:+7+5.3+10.2+1.2+0.2+0.9+7.3+1.2+2.0-2.4-0.1+3.1+9.2+.114+2.9+7.5+1.1+1.0+.122
Serge Ibaka 82 27.0 9.9 2.6 5.0 7.6 0.3 0.4 2.4 0.9 3.3 4.1 7.5 .543 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.2 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Serge Ibaka 17 28.8 9.8 2.8 4.5 7.3 0.2 0.2 3.1 1.2 3.8 3.9 8.5 .462 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.4 .825

Season 3

LaMelo Ball Serge Ibaka
Season 2022-232011-12
Team Charlotte HornetsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Blocks Leader
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost NBA Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 36 35.2 23.3 1.2 5.3 6.4 8.4 1.3 0.3 3.6 3.3 8.2 20.0 .411 4.0 10.6 .376 2.8 3.4 .836
difference:+30+8.0+14.2+1.7+0.7+1.1+8.0+0.8+3.4-2.4-0.6+4.2+12.6+.124+4.0+10.6+1.6+1.6+.175
Serge Ibaka 66 27.2 9.1 2.9 4.6 7.5 0.4 0.5 3.7 1.2 2.7 4.0 7.4 .535 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.8 .661
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Serge Ibaka 20 28.5 9.8 2.4 3.4 5.8 0.6 0.6 3.0 0.6 2.9 4.2 8.0 .528 0.1 0.2 .250 1.3 1.8 .722

Season 4

LaMelo Ball Serge Ibaka
Season 2023-242012-13
Team Charlotte HornetsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Blocks Leader
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 22 32.3 23.9 1.3 3.8 5.1 8.0 1.8 0.2 3.8 3.6 8.3 19.2 .433 3.2 9.0 .355 4.1 4.7 .865
difference:+58+1.2+10.7+1.5+1.1+2.6+7.5+1.4+2.8-2.2-0.9+2.7+9.5+.140+2.9+8.3+.004+2.3+2.3+.116
Serge Ibaka 80 31.1 13.2 2.8 4.9 7.7 0.5 0.4 3.0 1.6 2.7 5.6 9.7 .573 0.3 0.7 .351 1.8 2.4 .749
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Serge Ibaka 11 33.3 12.8 3.5 4.8 8.4 0.7 0.0 3.0 0.6 3.5 5.4 12.3 .437 0.4 0.8 .444 1.7 2.2 .792

Season 5

LaMelo Ball Serge Ibaka
Season 2024-252013-14
Team Charlotte HornetsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 47 32.0 25.2 1.0 3.9 4.9 7.4 1.1 0.3 3.6 3.3 8.6 21.3 .405 3.8 11.2 .339 4.1 4.9 .843
difference:+34+0.9+10.1+1.8+2.1+3.9+6.4+0.6+2.4-2.1-0.4+2.1+9.2+.131+3.5+10.5+.044+2.2+2.4+.059
Serge Ibaka 81 32.9 15.1 2.8 6.0 8.8 1.0 0.5 2.7 1.5 2.9 6.5 12.1 .536 0.3 0.7 .383 1.9 2.5 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Serge Ibaka 17 34.2 12.1 1.8 5.0 6.8 0.7 0.6 2.5 1.2 3.2 5.1 8.6 .592 0.3 0.8 .385 1.5 2.0 .765

Additional Years

* Serge Ibaka played 9 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 6 to 14, from 2015 to 2023—Serge Ibaka played in 7 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship.