Tim Duncan vs. LeBron James: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Tim Duncan and LeBron James all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Ever wondered how Tim Duncan and LeBron James truly stack up against each other? This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Tim Duncan, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1998 to 2016, and LeBron James, with 23 seasons played from 2004 to 2026, 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.
Tim Duncan vs. LeBron James | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | |
| Points | 17th | 1st | 6th | 1st |
| Rebounds | 6th | 25th | 3rd | 4th |
| Assists | 110th | 4th | 33rd | 2nd |
| Steals | 172nd | 6th | 48th | 1st |
| Blocks | 5th | 71st | 1st | 9th |
| Years | 19 | 23 | 18 | 18 |
Tim Duncan vs. LeBron James | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | |
| Points | 99th | 8th | 81st | 6th |
| Rebounds | 33rd | 190th | 26th | 103rd |
| Assists | +300th | 25th | +300th | 25th |
| Steals | +300th | 82nd | +300th | 37th |
| Blocks | 20th | 271st | 10th | 164th |
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: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 17th | 1st | 16 | 26,496 vs. 42,406 | 15,910 |
| Rebounds | 6th | 25th | 19 | 15,091 vs. 11,793 | 3,298 |
| Assists | 110th | 4th | 106 | 4,225 vs. 11,662 | 7,437 |
| Steals | 172nd | 6th | 166 | 1,025 vs. 2,355 | 1,330 |
| Blocks | 5th | 71st | 66 | 3,020 vs. 1,157 | 1,863 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 11th | 145th | 134 | 3,859 vs. 1,808 | 2,051 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | 7th | 4 | 11,232 vs. 9,985 | 1,247 |
| Field Goals Made | 15th | 2nd | 13 | 10,285 vs. 15,571 | 5,286 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 18th | 1st | 17 | 20,334 vs. 30,756 | 10,422 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 6th | +294 | 30 vs. 2,574 | 2,544 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 5th | +295 | 168 vs. 7,375 | 7,207 |
| Free Throws Made | 26th | 2nd | 24 | 5,896 vs. 8,690 | 2,794 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 15th | 3rd | 12 | 8,468 vs. 11,795 | 3,327 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 11th | 2nd | 9 | 1,392 vs. 1,573 | 181 |
| Seasons | 13th | 1st | 12 | 19 vs. 23 | 4 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 134th | 5th | 129 | 4 vs. 122 | 118 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 152nd | 6th | 146 | 5 vs. 79 | 74 |
| 50+ point games | 76th | 8th | 68 | 1 vs. 14 | 13 |
| 60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 6th | 1st | 5 | 5,172 vs. 8,289 | 3,117 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 4th | 1 | 2,859 vs. 2,628 | 231 |
| Assists | 33rd | 2nd | 31 | 764 vs. 2,095 | 1,331 |
| Steals | 48th | 1st | 47 | 168 vs. 493 | 325 |
| Blocks | 1st | 9th | 8 | 568 vs. 284 | 284 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2nd | 15th | 13 | 778 vs. 442 | 336 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 1st | 1 | 2,081 vs. 2,186 | 105 |
| Field Goals Made | 6th | 1st | 5 | 1,975 vs. 2,971 | 996 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 5th | 1st | 4 | 3,939 vs. 5,984 | 2,045 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 3rd | +297 | 5 vs. 480 | 475 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 35 vs. 1,443 | 1,408 |
| Free Throws Made | 6th | 1st | 5 | 1,217 vs. 1,867 | 650 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 3rd | 1st | 2 | 1,766 vs. 2,519 | 753 |
Games and Years: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 1st | 2 | 251 vs. 292 | 41 |
| Playoffs | 3rd | 3rd | 0 | 18 vs. 18 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 13th | 2nd | 11 | 4 vs. 28 | 24 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 36th | 2nd | 34 | 4 vs. 29 | 25 |
| 50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 99th | 8th | 91 | 19.03 vs. 26.96 | 7.92 |
| Rebounds per game | 33rd | 190th | 157 | 10.84 vs. 7.50 | 3.34 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 25th | +275 | 3.04 vs. 7.41 | 4.38 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 82nd | +218 | 0.74 vs. 1.50 | 0.76 |
| Blocks per game | 20th | 271st | 251 | 2.17 vs. 0.74 | 1.43 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 54th | +300th | +246 | 2.77 vs. 1.15 | 1.62 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 10th | 64th | 54 | 8.07 vs. 6.35 | 1.72 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 86th | 6th | 80 | 7.39 vs. 9.90 | 2.51 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 142nd | 14th | 128 | 14.61 vs. 19.55 | 4.94 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 133rd | +167 | 0.02 vs. 1.64 | 1.61 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 77th | +223 | 0.12 vs. 4.69 | 4.57 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 106th | 35th | 71 | 4.24 vs. 5.52 | 1.29 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 74th | 27th | 47 | 6.08 vs. 7.50 | 1.42 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Tim Duncan | LeBron James | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 81st | 6th | 75 | 20.61 vs. 28.39 | 7.78 |
| Rebounds per game | 26th | 103rd | 77 | 11.39 vs. 9.00 | 2.39 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 25th | +275 | 3.04 vs. 7.17 | 4.13 |
| Steals per game | +300th | 37th | +263 | 0.67 vs. 1.69 | 1.02 |
| Blocks per game | 10th | 164th | 154 | 2.26 vs. 0.97 | 1.29 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 3.10 vs. 1.51 | 1.59 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 15th | 30th | 15 | 8.29 vs. 7.49 | 0.80 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 71st | 10th | 61 | 7.87 vs. 10.17 | 2.31 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 118th | 19th | 99 | 15.69 vs. 20.49 | 4.80 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 120th | +180 | 0.02 vs. 1.64 | 1.62 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 95th | +205 | 0.14 vs. 4.94 | 4.80 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 87th | 22nd | 65 | 4.85 vs. 6.39 | 1.55 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 51st | 17th | 34 | 7.04 vs. 8.63 | 1.59 |
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.