Joel Embiid vs. LeBron James: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of LeBron James and Joel Embiid to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Joel Embiid and LeBron James have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (LeBron is also the all-time leader in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that LeBron James scored more total points both in the regular season and Playoffs and also has a better playoff average while Joel Embiid has a better scoring average in the regular season. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 9 NBA regular seasons played, Joel Embiid averages 0.7 points more than LeBron James in his 22 seasons (27.7 points against 27.0). On the other hand LeBron James scored a total of 29,661 points more than Joel Embiid (42,184 vs. 12,523).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Joel Embiid | 27.7 | +0.7 | 9 |
| LeBron James | 27.0 | 22 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Joel Embiid | 12,523 | 9 | |
| LeBron James | 42,184 | +29,661 | 22 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Joel Embiid | 2 |  +1 |
| LeBron James | 1 | |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason LeBron James has a better career point average than Joel Embiid (+3.5 points per game) and he also scored more points (+6,820).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Joel Embiid | 24.9 | 7 | |
| LeBron James | 28.4 | +3.5 | 18 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Joel Embiid | 1,469 | 7 | |
| LeBron James | 8,289 | +6,820 | 18 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
70+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | +1 | ||
| LeBron James | 0 | |||
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | |||
| LeBron James | 1 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 362 | |||
| LeBron James | 1,286 | +924 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 443 | |||
| LeBron James | 1,554 | +1111 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 451 | |||
| LeBron James | 1,562 | +1111 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | +1 | ||
| LeBron James | 0 | |||
Playoffs
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 42 | |||
| LeBron James | 261 | +219 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 58 | |||
| LeBron James | 290 | +232 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 59 | |||
| LeBron James | 292 | +233 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 0 | |||
| LeBron James | 0 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 27.7 | 9.1 | 18.2 | 50.1 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 33.9 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 82.8 | 9 | 452 |
| difference: | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +2.8 | +2.5 | +9.1 | +13 | +1,110 |
| LeBron James | 27.0 | 9.9 | 19.6 | 50.6 | 1.6 | 4.7 | 34.9 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 73.7 | 22 | 1,562 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 12,523 | 4,117 | 8,212 | 50.1 | 532 | 1,568 | 33.9 | 3,757 | 4,538 | 82.8 | 9 | 452 |
| difference: | +29,661 | +11,371 | +22,371 | +0.5 | +2,027 | +5,754 | +1.0 | +4,892 | +7,197 | +9.1 | +13 | +1,110 |
| LeBron James | 42,184 | 15,488 | 30,583 | 50.6 | 2,559 | 7,322 | 34.9 | 8,649 | 11,735 | 73.7 | 22 | 1,562 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 24.9 | 7.9 | 17.2 | 45.9 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 28.9 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 82.8 | 7 | 59 |
| difference: | +3.5 | +2.3 | +3.3 | +3.7 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +4.4 | +1.6 | +1.1 | +8.7 | +11 | +233 |
| LeBron James | 28.4 | 10.2 | 20.5 | 49.6 | 1.6 | 4.9 | 33.3 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 74.1 | 18 | 292 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1,469 | 466 | 1,015 | 45.9 | 65 | 225 | 28.9 | 472 | 570 | 82.8 | 7 | 59 |
| difference: | +6,820 | +2,505 | +4,969 | +3.7 | +415 | +1,218 | +4.4 | +1,395 | +1,949 | +8.7 | +11 | +233 |
| LeBron James | 8,289 | 2,971 | 5,984 | 49.6 | 480 | 1,443 | 33.3 | 1,867 | 2,519 | 74.1 | 18 | 292 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
LeBron James' additional seasons: | ||||
* LeBron James played 13 seasons more than Joel Embiid in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 10 to 22, from 2013 to 2025—he averaged 26.5 points in a total of 873 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 30.3 ppg and his lowest 24.4. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| LeBron James | - | DNP | 2004 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 21.4 | +21.4 | 2018 | 8 |
| LeBron James | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 9 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| LeBron James | 30.3 | +30.3 | 2012 | 23 |
LeBron James' additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 13 additional NBA seasons, LeBron James played in 11 Playoffs and won 3 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 28.3 points in a total of 177 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 34 ppg and his lowest 23.3. |