Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. LeBron James: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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.

LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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 has better scoring stats than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points in the Regular Season

In his 22 NBA regular seasons played, LeBron James averages 2.5 points more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his 8 seasons (27.0 points against 24.5), and he also scored a total of 30,855 points more (42,184 vs. 11,329).

Points Per Game

Seasons
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 24.5
8
LeBron James 27.0
+2.5
22

Total Points

Seasons
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 11,329
8
LeBron James 42,184
+30,855
22

Scoring Titles

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 1
Scoring leader
LeBron James 1
Scoring leader

Points in the Playoffs

Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason LeBron James has a better career point average than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+2.6 points per game) and he also scored more points (+7,103).

Points Per Game

Playoffs
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 25.8
4
LeBron James 28.4
+2.6
18

Total Points

Playoffs
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 1,186
4
LeBron James 8,289
+7,103
18

Points by Thresholds

Regular Season

60+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 0
LeBron James 1
+1

50+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 4
LeBron James 14
+10

40+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 26
LeBron James 79
+53

30+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 179
LeBron James 571
+392

20+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 314
LeBron James 1,286
+972

10+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 422
LeBron James 1,554
+1132

1+ Point Games (games with points)

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 461
LeBron James 1,562
+1101

0 Point Games (games without points)

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 2
+2
LeBron James 0

Playoffs

50+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 0
LeBron James 1
+1

40+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 1
LeBron James 29
+28

30+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 22
LeBron James 123
+101

20+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 34
LeBron James 261
+227

10+ Point Games

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 41
LeBron James 290
+249

1+ Point Games (games with points)

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 46
LeBron James 292
+246

0 Point Games (games without points)

S. Gilgeous-Alexander 0
LeBron James 0

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

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Regular Season

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24.5 8.5 17.1 50.1 1.3 3.8 35.4 6.1 7.0 86.1 8 463
difference:+2.5+1.4+2.5+0.6+0.3+0.9+0.5+0.6+0.5+12.4+14+1,099
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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 11,329 3,955 7,898 50.1 615 1,738 35.4 2,804 3,257 86.1 8 463
difference:+30,855+11,533+22,685+0.6+1,944+5,584+0.5+5,845+8,478+12.4+14+1,099
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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 25.8 8.9 19.1 46.8 1.5 4.4 35.0 6.4 7.4 85.9 4 46
difference:+2.6+1.3+1.4+2.8+0.1+0.5+1.7+1.2+11.8+14+246
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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 1,186 411 878 46.8 71 203 35.0 293 341 85.9 4 46
difference:+7,103+2,560+5,106+2.8+409+1,240+1.7+1,574+2,178+11.8+14+246
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

Scoring leader= NBA Scoring Leader
NBA Champion = NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 10.8
201982
LeBron James 20.9
+10.1
200479

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 19.0
202070
LeBron James 27.2
+8.2
200580

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 23.7
202135
LeBron James 31.4
+7.7
200679

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 24.5
202256
LeBron James 27.3
+2.8
200778

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 31.4
+1.4
202368
LeBron James Scoring leader30.0
200875

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 30.1
+1.7
202475
LeBron James 28.4
200981

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander Scoring leader32.7
+3.0
2025NBA Champion76
LeBron James 29.7
201076

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 35.0
+8.3
20261
LeBron James 26.7
201179

LeBron James' additional seasons:

* LeBron James played 14 seasons more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA.

In those years—his seasons 9 to 22, from 2012 to 2025—he averaged 26.5 points in a total of 935 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 30.3 ppg and his lowest 24.4.

Playoffs

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 13.7
+13.7
20196
LeBron James -
DNP
20040

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 16.3
+16.3
20207
LeBron James -
DNP
20050

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander -
DNP
20210
LeBron James 30.8
+30.8
200613

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander -
DNP
20220
LeBron James 25.1
+25.1
200720

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander -
DNP
20230
LeBron James 28.2
+28.2
200813

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 30.2
202410
LeBron James 35.3
+5.1
200914

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander 29.9
+0.8
2025NBA Champion23
LeBron James 29.1
201011

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
S. Gilgeous-Alexander -
DNP *
20260
LeBron James 23.7
+23.7
201121
* season in progress

LeBron James' additional Playoffs:

* During his 14 additional NBA seasons, LeBron James played in 12 Playoffs and won 4 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 28.6 points in a total of 200 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 34 ppg and his lowest 23.3.