LeBron James vs. Yao Ming: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare LeBron James and Yao Ming all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where LeBron James, with a career spanning 22 seasons from 2004 to 2025, and Yao Ming, with 8 seasons played from 2003 to 2011, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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. Yao Ming
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
LeBron James Yao Ming LeBron James Yao Ming
Points
1st
+300th
1st
+300th
Rebounds
25th
+300th
4th
+300th
Assists
4th
+300th
2nd
+300th
Steals
6th
+300th
1st
+300th
Blocks
70th
120th
9th
223rd
Years228184

LeBron James vs. Yao Ming
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
LeBron James Yao Ming LeBron James Yao Ming
Points
8th
98th
6th
95th
Rebounds
188th
87th
103rd
84th
Assists
25th
+300th
25th
+300th
Steals
82nd
+300th
37th
+300th
Blocks
267th
31st
164th
67th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
1st
+300th
+299 42,184 vs. 9,24732,937
Rebounds
25th
+300th
+275 11,731 vs. 4,4947,237
Assists
4th
+300th
+296 11,584 vs. 76910,815
Steals
6th
+300th
+294 2,345 vs. 1892,156
Blocks
70th
120th
50 1,150 vs. 920230
Offensive Rebounds
147th
+300th
+153 1,799 vs. 1,233566
Defensive Rebounds
7th
259th
252 9,932 vs. 3,2616,671
Field Goals Made
2nd
+300th
+298 15,488 vs. 3,38012,108
Field Goals Attempted
1st
+300th
+299 30,583 vs. 6,44524,138
3-Pointers Made
7th
+300th
+293 2,559 vs. 22,557
3-Pointers Attempted
5th
+300th
+295 7,322 vs. 107,312
Free Throws Made
2nd
265th
263 8,649 vs. 2,4856,164
Free Throws Attempted
3rd
+300th
+297 11,735 vs. 2,9848,751

Games and Years:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
2nd
+300th
1,562 vs. 4861,076
Seasons
1st
+300th
22 vs. 814

Rankings by Points Scored:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
6th
276th
270 79 vs. 277
50+ point games
8th
-
14 vs. 014
60+ point games
11th
-
1 vs. 01
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
1st
+300th
+299 8,289 vs. 5557,734
Rebounds
4th
+300th
+296 2,628 vs. 2612,367
Assists
2nd
+300th
+298 2,095 vs. 292,066
Steals
1st
+300th
+299 493 vs. 9484
Blocks
9th
223rd
214 284 vs. 42242
Offensive Rebounds
15th
+300th
+285 442 vs. 76366
Defensive Rebounds
1st
+300th
+299 2,186 vs. 1852,001
Field Goals Made
1st
+300th
+299 2,971 vs. 1952,776
Field Goals Attempted
1st
+300th
+299 5,984 vs. 3765,608
3-Pointers Made
3rd
+300th
+297 480 vs. 0480
3-Pointers Attempted
2nd
+300th
+298 1,443 vs. 01,443
Free Throws Made
1st
300th
299 1,867 vs. 1651,702
Free Throws Attempted
1st
+300th
+299 2,519 vs. 1982,321

Games and Years:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
1st
+300th
292 vs. 28264
Playoffs
3rd
+300th
18 vs. 414

Rankings by Points Scored:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
2nd
-
29 vs. 029
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
8th
98th
90 27.01 vs. 19.037.98
Rebounds per game
188th
87th
101 7.51 vs. 9.251.74
Assists per game
25th
+300th
+275 7.42 vs. 1.585.83
Steals per game
82nd
+300th
+218 1.50 vs. 0.391.11
Blocks per game
267th
31st
236 0.74 vs. 1.891.16
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
88th
+212 1.15 vs. 2.541.39
Defensive Rebounds per game
63rd
49th
14 6.36 vs. 6.710.35
Field Goals Made per game
6th
124th
118 9.92 vs. 6.952.96
Field Goals Attempted per game
13th
223rd
210 19.58 vs. 13.266.32
3-Pointers Made per game
132nd
+300th
+168 1.64 vs. 0.001.63
3-Pointers Attempted per game
72nd
+300th
+228 4.69 vs. 0.024.67
Free Throws Made per game
34th
48th
14 5.54 vs. 5.110.42
Free Throws Attempted per game
27th
69th
42 7.51 vs. 6.141.37

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

LeBron James Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
6th
95th
89 28.39 vs. 19.828.57
Rebounds per game
103rd
84th
19 9.00 vs. 9.320.32
Assists per game
25th
+300th
+275 7.17 vs. 1.046.14
Steals per game
37th
+300th
+263 1.69 vs. 0.321.37
Blocks per game
164th
67th
97 0.97 vs. 1.500.53
Offensive Rebounds per game
+300th
84th
+216 1.51 vs. 2.711.20
Defensive Rebounds per game
30th
59th
29 7.49 vs. 6.610.88
Field Goals Made per game
10th
131st
121 10.17 vs. 6.963.21
Field Goals Attempted per game
19th
212nd
193 20.49 vs. 13.437.06
3-Pointers Made per game
120th
+300th
+180 1.64 vs. 0.001.64
3-Pointers Attempted per game
95th
+300th
+205 4.94 vs. 0.004.94
Free Throws Made per game
22nd
37th
15 6.39 vs. 5.890.50
Free Throws Attempted per game
17th
48th
31 8.63 vs. 7.071.56

Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 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 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.