LaMelo Ball vs. Yao Ming: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Yao Ming and LaMelo Ball 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.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that in the regular season LaMelo Ball has a better scoring average and Yao Ming scored more points, and since LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Yao Ming has better playoff stats. 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 5 NBA regular seasons played, LaMelo Ball averages 2 points more than Yao Ming in his 8 seasons (21.0 points against 19.0). On the other hand Yao Ming scored a total of 4,388 points more than LaMelo Ball (9,247 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | +2.0 | 5 |
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | 8 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | +4,388 | 8 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Yao Ming has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | +19.8 | 4 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Yao Ming | 555 | +555 | 4 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | +1 | ||
| Yao Ming | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
| Yao Ming | 232 | +102 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
| Yao Ming | 440 | +230 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
| Yao Ming | 483 | +253 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| Yao Ming | 3 | +2 | ||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Yao Ming's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 7.4 | 17.6 | 42.1 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 36.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +2.0 | +0.4 | +4.3 | +10.3 | +3.1 | +8.4 | +16.5 | +2.0 | +2.4 | +0.4 | +3 | +255 |
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | 7.0 | 13.3 | 52.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 1,716 | 4,073 | 42.1 | 705 | 1,934 | 36.5 | 722 | 863 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +4,388 | +1,664 | +2,372 | +10.3 | +703 | +1,924 | +16.5 | +1,763 | +2,121 | +0.4 | +3 | +255 |
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | 3,380 | 6,445 | 52.4 | 2 | 10 | 20.0 | 2,485 | 2,984 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +19.8 | +7.0 | +13.4 | +51.9 | +5.9 | +7.1 | +83.3 | +4 | +28 | |||
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | 7.0 | 13.4 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.9 | 7.1 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +555 | +195 | +376 | +51.9 | +165 | +198 | +83.3 | +4 | +28 | |||
| Yao Ming | 555 | 195 | 376 | 51.9 | 0 | 0 | - | 165 | 198 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Yao Ming's additional seasons: | ||||
* Yao Ming played 3 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 8, from 2008 to 2011—he averaged 20.2 points in a total of 137 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 22 ppg and his lowest 10.2. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Yao Ming | 15.0 | +15.0 | 2004 | 5 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Yao Ming | 21.4 | +21.4 | 2005 | 7 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Yao Ming | 25.1 | +25.1 | 2007 | 7 |
Yao Ming's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 3 additional NBA seasons, Yao Ming played in one postseason. In those postseasons he averaged 17.1 points in a total of 9 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 17.1 ppg and his lowest 17.1. |