LeBron James vs. Hakeem Olajuwon: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare LeBron James and Hakeem Olajuwon all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where LeBron James, with a career spanning 23 seasons from 2004 to 2026, and Hakeem Olajuwon, with 18 seasons played from 1985 to 2002, stand among the league's historical elite.
Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.
LeBron James vs. Hakeem Olajuwon | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| Points | 1st | 14th | 1st | 16th |
| Rebounds | 25th | 14th | 4th | 13th |
| Assists | 4th | 232nd | 2nd | 73rd |
| Steals | 6th | 10th | 1st | 21st |
| Blocks | 71st | 1st | 9th | 3rd |
| Years | 23 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
LeBron James vs. Hakeem Olajuwon | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| Points | 8th | 46th | 6th | 22nd |
| Rebounds | 190th | 27th | 103rd | 27th |
| Assists | 25th | +300th | 25th | +300th |
| Steals | 82nd | 35th | 37th | 37th |
| Blocks | 270th | 3rd | 164th | 1st |
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 1st | 14th | 13 | 42,316 vs. 26,946 | 15,370 |
| Rebounds | 25th | 14th | 11 | 11,779 vs. 13,748 | 1,969 |
| Assists | 4th | 232nd | 228 | 11,645 vs. 3,058 | 8,587 |
| Steals | 6th | 10th | 4 | 2,350 vs. 2,162 | 188 |
| Blocks | 71st | 1st | 70 | 1,155 vs. 3,830 | 2,675 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 146th | 9th | 137 | 1,805 vs. 4,034 | 2,229 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 7th | 8th | 1 | 9,974 vs. 9,714 | 260 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 10th | 8 | 15,540 vs. 10,749 | 4,791 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 1st | 17th | 16 | 30,694 vs. 20,991 | 9,703 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 6th | +300th | +294 | 2,570 vs. 25 | 2,545 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 5th | +300th | +295 | 7,358 vs. 124 | 7,234 |
| Free Throws Made | 2nd | 29th | 27 | 8,666 vs. 5,423 | 3,243 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 3rd | 28th | 25 | 11,763 vs. 7,621 | 4,142 |
Games and Years: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 2nd | 39th | 37 | 1,570 vs. 1,238 | 332 |
| Seasons | 1st | 29th | 28 | 23 vs. 18 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 5th | 50th | 45 | 122 vs. 14 | 108 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 6th | 39th | 33 | 79 vs. 32 | 47 |
| 50+ point games | 8th | 49th | 41 | 14 vs. 2 | 12 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 1st | 16th | 15 | 8,289 vs. 3,755 | 4,534 |
| Rebounds | 4th | 13th | 9 | 2,628 vs. 1,621 | 1,007 |
| Assists | 2nd | 73rd | 71 | 2,095 vs. 458 | 1,637 |
| Steals | 1st | 21st | 20 | 493 vs. 245 | 248 |
| Blocks | 9th | 3rd | 6 | 284 vs. 472 | 188 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 15th | 11th | 4 | 442 vs. 471 | 29 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 1st | 13th | 12 | 2,186 vs. 1,150 | 1,036 |
| Field Goals Made | 1st | 11th | 10 | 2,971 vs. 1,504 | 1,467 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 1st | 17th | 16 | 5,984 vs. 2,847 | 3,137 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 3rd | +300th | +297 | 480 vs. 4 | 476 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 2nd | +300th | +298 | 1,443 vs. 18 | 1,425 |
| Free Throws Made | 1st | 26th | 25 | 1,867 vs. 743 | 1,124 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 21st | 20 | 2,519 vs. 1,034 | 1,485 |
Games and Years: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 1st | 54th | 53 | 292 vs. 145 | 147 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 17th | 14 | 18 vs. 15 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 2nd | 38th | 36 | 28 vs. 1 | 27 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 29 vs. 11 | 18 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 8th | 46th | 38 | 26.95 vs. 21.77 | 5.19 |
| Rebounds per game | 190th | 27th | 163 | 7.50 vs. 11.11 | 3.60 |
| Assists per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 7.42 vs. 2.47 | 4.95 |
| Steals per game | 82nd | 35th | 47 | 1.50 vs. 1.75 | 0.25 |
| Blocks per game | 270th | 3rd | 267 | 0.74 vs. 3.09 | 2.36 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 16th | +284 | 1.15 vs. 3.26 | 2.11 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 64th | 17th | 47 | 6.35 vs. 7.85 | 1.49 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 6th | 29th | 23 | 9.90 vs. 8.68 | 1.22 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 14th | 51st | 37 | 19.55 vs. 16.96 | 2.59 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 133rd | +300th | +167 | 1.64 vs. 0.02 | 1.62 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 77th | +300th | +223 | 4.69 vs. 0.10 | 4.59 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 35th | 93rd | 58 | 5.52 vs. 4.38 | 1.14 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 27th | 66th | 39 | 7.49 vs. 6.16 | 1.34 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Hakeem Olajuwon | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 6th | 22nd | 16 | 28.39 vs. 25.90 | 2.49 |
| Rebounds per game | 103rd | 27th | 76 | 9.00 vs. 11.18 | 2.18 |
| Assists per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 7.17 vs. 3.16 | 4.02 |
| Steals per game | 37th | 37th | 0 | 1.69 vs. 1.69 | 0.00 |
| Blocks per game | 164th | 1st | 163 | 0.97 vs. 3.26 | 2.28 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | 25th | +275 | 1.51 vs. 3.25 | 1.73 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 30th | 22nd | 8 | 7.49 vs. 7.93 | 0.44 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 10th | 8th | 2 | 10.17 vs. 10.37 | 0.20 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 19th | 34th | 15 | 20.49 vs. 19.63 | 0.86 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 120th | +300th | +180 | 1.64 vs. 0.03 | 1.62 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 95th | +300th | +205 | 4.94 vs. 0.12 | 4.82 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 22nd | 73rd | 51 | 6.39 vs. 5.12 | 1.27 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 17th | 46th | 29 | 8.63 vs. 7.13 | 1.50 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.