LeBron James vs. Karl-Anthony Towns Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Karl-Anthony Towns and LeBron James, 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

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.

LeBron James played 22 years in the NBA, 12 more than Karl-Anthony Towns, who played 10. LeBron James had the first of his seasons in 2003-04, while Karl-Anthony Towns had his rookie season in 2015-16. 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
LeBron James 22 18 2003-04 to 2024-25
Karl-Anthony Towns 10 5 2015-16 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Rookie Season
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2003-042015-16
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the YearAchievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+3+7.5+2.6+1.5+3.5+5.0+3.9+0.9+1.0-1.3-1.1+0.3+4.8+.125+0.4+1.6+.051+1.7+2.4+.057
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 32.0 18.3 2.8 7.7 10.5 2.0 0.7 1.7 2.2 3.0 7.6 14.1 .542 0.4 1.1 .341 2.7 3.4 .811
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher LeBron James nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2004-052016-17
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+2+5.4+2.1+2.2+2.7+4.9+4.5+1.5+0.6-0.7-1.1+0.1+3.1+.070+0.2+0.5+.016+1.7+2.8+.082
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 37.0 25.1 3.6 8.7 12.3 2.7 0.7 1.3 2.6 2.9 9.8 18.0 .542 1.2 3.4 .367 4.3 5.2 .832
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher LeBron James nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 2

Season 3
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2005-062017-18
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+3+6.9+10.1+2.0+3.3+5.3+4.2+0.8+0.6-1.4-1.2+3.3+8.8+.065+0.1+1.3+.086+3.4+5.4+.120
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 35.6 21.3 2.9 9.4 12.3 2.4 0.8 1.4 1.9 3.5 7.8 14.3 .545 1.5 3.5 .421 4.2 4.9 .858
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+8+12.5+15.6+1.3+4.0+5.3+3.6+1.0+0.3-2.6-0.6+5.6+11.6+.009+1.0+2.6+.060+3.3+4.5+.002
Karl-Anthony Towns 5 34.0 15.2 3.0 10.4 13.4 2.2 0.4 1.0 2.4 2.8 5.6 12.0 .467 0.6 2.2 .273 3.4 4.6 .739

Season 4
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2006-072018-19
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+1+7.8+2.9+2.3+3.3+5.7+2.6+0.7+0.9-0.1-1.6+1.1+3.7+.042+0.5+0.6+.081+1.4+3.2+.138
Karl-Anthony Towns 77 33.1 24.4 3.4 9.0 12.4 3.4 0.9 1.6 3.1 3.8 8.8 17.1 .518 1.8 4.6 .400 4.9 5.8 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2007-082019-20
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 75 40.4 30.0 1.8 6.1 7.9 7.2 1.8 1.1 3.4 2.2 10.6 21.9 .484 1.5 4.8 .315 7.3 10.3 .712
difference:+40+6.5+3.5+0.9+2.0+2.9+2.8+0.9+0.1-0.3-1.1+1.6+4.1+.024+1.8+3.1+.097+2.2+3.8+.084
Karl-Anthony Towns 35 33.9 26.5 2.7 8.1 10.8 4.4 0.9 1.2 3.1 3.3 9.0 17.8 .508 3.3 7.9 .412 5.1 6.5 .796
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 13 42.5 28.2 1.2 6.6 7.8 7.6 1.8 1.3 4.2 2.5 8.7 21.2 .411 1.4 5.4 .257 9.4 12.8 .731
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2008-092020-21
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 81 37.7 28.4 1.3 6.3 7.6 7.2 1.7 1.1 3.0 1.7 9.7 19.9 .489 1.6 4.7 .344 7.3 9.4 .780
difference:+31+3.9+3.6+1.4+1.6+3.0+2.7+0.9-0.2-2.0+1.2+2.4+.003+0.8+1.6+.043+2.0+3.2+.079
Karl-Anthony Towns 50 33.8 24.8 2.7 7.9 10.6 4.5 0.8 1.1 3.2 3.7 8.5 17.5 .486 2.4 6.3 .387 5.3 6.2 .859
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 14 41.4 35.3 1.4 7.8 9.1 7.3 1.6 0.9 2.7 2.1 11.4 22.3 .510 1.9 5.8 .333 10.6 14.2 .749
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2009-102021-22
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 76 39.0 29.7 0.9 6.4 7.3 8.6 1.6 1.0 3.4 1.6 10.1 20.1 .503 1.7 5.1 .333 7.8 10.2 .767
difference:+2+5.5+5.1+1.7+0.8+2.5+5.0+0.6+0.1-0.3-2.0+1.4+3.7+.026+0.3+0.2+.077+2.6+3.9+.055
Karl-Anthony Towns 74 33.5 24.6 2.6 7.2 9.8 3.6 1.0 1.1 3.1 3.6 8.7 16.4 .529 2.0 4.9 .410 5.2 6.3 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 11 41.8 29.1 1.4 7.9 9.3 7.6 1.7 1.8 3.8 2.1 9.6 19.2 .502 1.8 4.5 .400 8.0 10.9 .733
difference:+5+4.8+7.3+0.4+1.1+1.5+5.4+1.0+0.2-0.7-2.1+3.1+5.9+.014+0.1+0.8+.055+0.8+2.6+.127
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 37.0 21.8 1.8 9.0 10.8 2.2 0.7 2.0 4.5 4.2 6.5 13.3 .488 1.7 3.7 .455 7.2 8.3 .860

Season 8
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2010-112022-23
Team Miami HeatMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Heat Lost NBA FinalsTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 79 38.8 26.7 1.0 6.5 7.5 7.0 1.6 0.6 3.6 2.1 9.6 18.8 .510 1.2 3.5 .330 6.4 8.4 .759
difference:+50+5.8+5.9+0.7+0.6+2.2+0.9-0.6-1.7+2.3+4.0+.015+0.9+2.2+.036+2.3+3.7+.115
Karl-Anthony Towns 29 33.0 20.8 1.7 6.5 8.1 4.8 0.7 0.6 3.0 3.8 7.3 14.8 .495 2.1 5.7 .366 4.1 4.7 .874
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 21 43.9 23.7 1.6 6.8 8.4 5.9 1.7 1.2 3.1 2.7 8.3 17.8 .466 1.4 4.0 .353 5.7 7.4 .763
difference:+16+7.9+5.5+0.4+2.2+1.8+3.9+1.1+0.4-0.5-1.5+1.9+3.8+.009+0.2+0.8+.103+1.5+1.8+.013
Karl-Anthony Towns 5 36.0 18.2 1.2 9.0 10.2 2.0 0.6 0.8 3.6 4.2 6.4 14.0 .457 1.2 4.8 .250 4.2 5.6 .750

Season 9
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2011-122023-24
Team Miami HeatMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTimberwolves Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 62 37.5 27.1 1.5 6.4 7.9 6.2 1.9 0.8 3.4 1.5 10.0 18.9 .531 0.9 2.4 .362 6.2 8.1 .771
difference:+4.8+5.3+0.4+0.4+3.2+1.2+0.1-0.5-1.8+2.3+3.6+.027+1.3+2.9+.054+2.1+3.4+.102
Karl-Anthony Towns 62 32.7 21.8 1.5 6.8 8.3 3.0 0.7 0.7 2.9 3.3 7.7 15.3 .504 2.2 5.3 .416 4.1 4.7 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 23 42.7 30.3 2.3 7.4 9.7 5.6 1.9 0.7 3.5 2.0 10.9 21.8 .500 1.0 3.7 .259 7.5 10.2 .739
difference:+7+10.1+11.2+0.1+0.6+0.7+3.0+1.1+0.5-1.8-1.4+4.1+7.3+.034+0.9+1.5+.102+3.8+5.9+.116
Karl-Anthony Towns 16 32.6 19.1 2.2 6.8 9.0 2.6 0.8 0.2 1.7 3.4 6.8 14.5 .466 1.9 5.2 .361 3.7 4.3 .855

Season 10
LeBron James Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2012-132024-25
Team Miami HeatNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 76 37.9 26.8 1.3 6.8 8.0 7.3 1.7 0.9 3.0 1.4 10.1 17.8 .565 1.4 3.3 .406 5.3 7.0 .753
difference:+4+2.9+2.4+1.6+3.0+4.8+4.2+0.7+0.2-0.3-2.1+1.2+0.9+.039+0.6+1.4+.014+0.6+1.3+.076
Karl-Anthony Towns 72 35.0 24.4 2.9 9.8 12.8 3.1 1.0 0.7 2.7 3.5 8.9 16.9 .526 2.0 4.7 .420 4.7 5.7 .829
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 23 41.7 25.9 1.6 6.8 8.4 6.6 1.8 0.8 3.0 1.9 9.2 18.8 .491 1.6 4.2 .375 5.9 7.6 .777
difference:+5+6.2+4.5+0.5+2.7+3.2+5.3+1.1+0.1-0.8-2.4+1.5+3.0+.003+0.2+0.1+.024+1.3+2.2+.068
Karl-Anthony Towns 18 35.5 21.4 2.1 9.5 11.6 1.3 0.7 0.7 2.2 4.3 7.7 15.8 .488 1.4 4.1 .351 4.6 5.4 .845

Additional Years

* LeBron James played 12 seasons more than Karl-Anthony Towns in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 11 to 22, from 2014 to 2025—LeBron James played in 10 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships and one NBA Cup.

In those 12 extra years over Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 2 Finals MVP
Achievement 6 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 2 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 4 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 1 All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement 1 Assists Leader
Achievement 1 Cup MVP
Achievement 1 Cup All-Tournament Team
Achievement 12 All-Star Game
Achievement 1 All-Star Game MVP
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