LeBron James vs. Tristan Thompson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Tristan Thompson 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 / 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, 8 more than Tristan Thompson, who played 14. LeBron James had the first of his seasons in 2003-04, while Tristan Thompson had his rookie season in 2011-12. 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
Tristan Thompson 14 9 2011-12 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2003-042011-12
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second 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:+19+15.8+12.7+1.8+0.8+1.0+5.4+1.1+0.3-2.1-0.3+4.7+11.5+.022+0.8+2.7+2.6+2.6+.202
Tristan Thompson 60 23.7 8.2 3.1 3.4 6.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.4 2.2 3.2 7.4 .439 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 3.2 .552
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher LeBron James nor Tristan Thompson played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2004-052012-13
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
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+11.1+15.5+2.3+0.3+2.0+5.9+1.5+0.2-1.8-1.1+5.1+11.4+.016+1.4+3.9+3.8+4.5+.142
Tristan Thompson 82 31.3 11.7 3.7 5.7 9.4 1.3 0.7 0.9 1.5 2.9 4.8 9.7 .488 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.5 .608
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher LeBron James nor Tristan Thompson played in the postseason in their season 2

Season 3

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2005-062013-14
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
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+10.9+19.7+2.4+0.2+2.2+5.7+1.1+0.4-2.0+6.7+13.8+.003+1.6+4.8+4.7+6.2+.045
Tristan Thompson 82 31.6 11.7 3.3 5.9 9.2 0.9 0.5 0.4 1.3 2.3 4.4 9.3 .477 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 4.1 .693
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
Tristan Thompson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2006-072014-15
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost NBA FinalsCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
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:+4+14.1+18.8+2.2+1.0+1.3+5.5+1.2-2.2-0.1+6.6+14.8+.071+1.3+4.0+4.4+6.0+.057
Tristan Thompson 82 26.8 8.5 3.3 4.7 8.0 0.5 0.4 0.7 1.0 2.3 3.3 6.0 .547 0.0 0.0 - 1.9 3.0 .641
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
difference:+8.3+15.5+3.1+0.4+2.7+7.5+1.4+0.7-2.5-0.5+4.7+13.5+.142+1.1+3.8+5.0+5.7+.170
Tristan Thompson 20 36.4 9.6 4.4 6.4 10.8 0.5 0.3 1.2 0.8 2.5 3.6 6.5 .558 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 4.1 .585

Season 5

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2007-082015-16
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
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:+7+12.7+22.2+1.5+0.4+1.1+6.4+1.3+0.5-2.7-0.3+7.6+16.8+.104+1.5+4.8+5.5+7.3+.096
Tristan Thompson 82 27.7 7.8 3.3 5.7 9.0 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.7 2.5 3.0 5.1 .588 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 3.0 .616
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
difference:+8+12.9+21.5+2.9+1.7+1.2+6.9+1.4+0.4-3.4-0.1+6.4+16.8+.116+1.4+5.4+7.4+9.3+.156
Tristan Thompson 21 29.6 6.7 4.1 4.9 9.0 0.7 0.4 0.9 0.8 2.6 2.3 4.4 .527 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.5 .575

Season 6

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2008-092016-17
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf FinalsCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
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:+3+7.8+20.3+2.4+0.8+1.6+6.2+1.2-2.2-0.6+6.3+14.3+.111+1.6+4.7+5.9+6.7+.282
Tristan Thompson 78 29.9 8.1 3.7 5.5 9.2 1.0 0.5 1.1 0.8 2.3 3.4 5.6 .600 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 2.7 .498
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
difference:+4+10.2+27.1+2.4+3.3+0.8+5.9+1.1+0.2-1.5-0.1+8.4+17.2+.077+1.9+5.8+8.4+10.9+.082
Tristan Thompson 18 31.2 8.2 3.8 4.5 8.3 1.4 0.5 0.7 1.2 2.0 3.0 5.1 .587 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.3 .667

Season 7

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2009-102017-18
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf SemisCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
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:+23+18.8+23.9+1.5+2.1+0.7+8.0+1.3+0.7-2.7-0.3+7.6+15.7+.059+1.7+5.1+7.0+8.7+.223
Tristan Thompson 53 20.2 5.8 2.4 4.3 6.6 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.9 2.5 4.4 .562 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.5 .544
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:+8+19.9+22.9+0.9+4.3+3.4+7.0+1.6+1.4-3.2-0.7+7.0+14.8+.088+1.8+4.4+.400+6.9+9.5+.008
Tristan Thompson 19 21.9 6.2 2.3 3.6 5.9 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.6 1.4 2.6 4.4 .590 0.0 0.1 .000 1.1 1.4 .741

Season 8

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2010-112018-19
Team Miami HeatCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Heat Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
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:+36+10.9+15.8+3.0+0.3+2.7+5.0+0.9+0.2-2.2+4.9+10.0+.019+1.2+3.5+4.8+5.9+.117
Tristan Thompson 43 27.9 10.9 4.0 6.2 10.2 2.0 0.7 0.4 1.4 2.1 4.7 8.8 .529 0.0 0.0 - 1.6 2.5 .642
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
Tristan Thompson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 9

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2011-122019-20
Team Miami HeatCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
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:+5+7.3+15.1+2.5+0.2+2.2+4.1+1.3+0.1-1.6-0.7+4.9+9.0+.019+0.7+2.0+.029+4.5+5.3+.156
Tristan Thompson 57 30.2 12.0 4.0 6.2 10.1 2.1 0.6 0.9 1.8 2.2 5.1 9.9 .512 0.2 0.4 .391 1.7 2.8 .615
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
Tristan Thompson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 10

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2012-132020-21
Team Miami HeatBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
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:+22+14.1+19.2+1.8+1.8+0.1+6.1+1.3+0.3-1.9-0.8+7.0+11.8+.047+1.4+3.2+.406+4.0+4.8+.161
Tristan Thompson 54 23.8 7.6 3.1 5.0 8.1 1.2 0.4 0.6 1.1 2.2 3.1 6.0 .518 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 2.2 .592
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:+18+15.3+15.5+4.2+2.8+1.4+5.6+1.0+0.4-2.0-0.5+5.2+12.0+.097+1.6+4.2+3.5+4.2+.071
Tristan Thompson 5 26.4 10.4 5.8 4.0 9.8 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.0 2.4 4.0 6.8 .588 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.4 .706

Season 11

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2013-142021-22
Team Miami HeatSacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Heat Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 77 37.7 27.1 1.1 5.9 6.9 6.3 1.6 0.3 3.5 1.6 10.0 17.6 .567 1.5 4.0 .379 5.7 7.6 .750
difference:+20+22.0+21.1+1.0+3.0+1.8+5.7+1.2+0.1-2.7-0.1+7.5+12.9+.039+1.5+3.9+.046+4.6+5.6+.224
Tristan Thompson 57 15.7 6.0 2.1 2.9 5.1 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.8 1.7 2.5 4.7 .528 0.0 0.1 .333 1.1 2.0 .526
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 20 38.2 27.4 0.7 6.4 7.1 4.8 1.8 0.6 3.1 2.3 9.6 17.0 .565 1.8 4.3 .407 6.5 8.0 .806
difference:+15+30.6+26.6+0.3+5.2+5.5+4.4+1.6+0.6-2.1-1.5+9.2+16.0+.165+1.8+4.3+6.5+8.0
Tristan Thompson 5 7.6 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 1.0 0.8 0.4 1.0 .400 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 12

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2014-152022-23
Team Cleveland CavaliersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost NBA FinalsLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 69 36.1 25.3 0.7 5.3 6.0 7.4 1.6 0.7 3.9 2.0 9.0 18.5 .488 1.7 4.9 .354 5.4 7.7 .710
Tristan Thompson DNP------ --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 20 42.2 30.1 1.9 9.5 11.3 8.5 1.7 1.1 4.1 2.9 11.4 27.2 .417 1.3 5.5 .227 6.1 8.4 .731
difference:+14+36.9+28.3+1.2+8.5+9.6+8.2+1.7+1.1-3.9-2.7+10.6+25.4+.038+1.3+5.5+5.9+7.6+.531
Tristan Thompson 6 5.3 1.8 0.7 1.0 1.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.8 1.8 .455 0.0 0.0 - 0.2 0.8 .200

Season 13

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2015-162023-24
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCavaliers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
13th 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 35.6 25.3 1.5 6.0 7.4 6.8 1.4 0.6 3.3 1.9 9.7 18.6 .520 1.1 3.7 .309 4.7 6.5 .731
difference:+27+24.4+22.0+3.9+3.8+5.8+1.2+0.3-2.7-0.7+8.2+16.2+.088+1.1+3.7+4.4+5.4+.443
Tristan Thompson 49 11.2 3.3 1.5 2.1 3.6 1.0 0.2 0.3 0.6 1.2 1.5 2.4 .608 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 1.1 .288
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 21 39.1 26.3 2.0 7.5 9.5 7.6 2.3 1.3 3.6 2.6 10.4 19.9 .525 1.5 4.5 .340 3.9 5.9 .661
difference:+11+30.4+24.8+1.0+6.5+7.5+6.6+2.2+0.8-3.4-1.7+9.7+18.3+.087+1.5+4.5+3.8+5.7+.161
Tristan Thompson 10 8.7 1.5 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.9 0.7 1.6 .438 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.2 .500

Season 14

LeBron James Tristan Thompson
Season 2016-172024-25
Team Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost NBA FinalsCavaliers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 74 37.8 26.4 1.3 7.3 8.6 8.7 1.2 0.6 4.1 1.8 9.9 18.2 .548 1.7 4.6 .363 4.8 7.2 .674
difference:+34+29.6+24.7+0.5+4.7+5.2+8.1+1.1+0.3-3.7-0.9+9.1+16.4+.111+1.7+4.5+.363+4.6+6.4+.441
Tristan Thompson 40 8.2 1.7 0.8 2.6 3.4 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.9 0.8 1.8 .437 0.0 0.1 .000 0.2 0.8 .233
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LeBron James 18 41.3 32.8 1.1 8.1 9.1 7.8 1.9 1.3 4.0 2.4 12.1 21.3 .565 2.4 5.9 .411 6.3 9.0 .698
difference:+15+31.6+30.5+0.4+3.8+4.1+7.5+1.6+0.6-3.3-1.7+11.1+19.3+.065+2.4+5.9+6.0+8.0+.365
Tristan Thompson 3 9.7 2.3 0.7 4.3 5.0 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.7 1.0 2.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 1.0 .333

Additional Years

* LeBron James played 8 seasons more than Tristan Thompson in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 15 to 22, from 2018 to 2025—LeBron James played in 6 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship and one NBA Cup.

In those 8 extra years over Tristan Thompson, LeBron James got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 Finals MVP
Achievement 2 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 2 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 4 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 1 Assists Leader
Achievement 1 Cup MVP
Achievement 1 Cup All-Tournament Team
Achievement 8 All-Star Game
Achievement 1 All-Star Game MVP