LeBron James vs. Shaquille O'Neal: Heat Rankings Comparison
Explore Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James career statistics with the Miami Heat and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal truly stack up based solely on their time with the Miami Heat. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.
Considering LeBron James's 4 seasons (2011 to 2014) and Shaquille O'Neal's 4 seasons (2005 to 2008) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Heat 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 franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.
LeBron James vs. Shaquille O'Neal: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 5th | 20th | 2nd | 9th |
| Rebounds | 12th | 14th | 3rd | 8th |
| Assists | 6th | 41st | 2nd | 20th |
| Steals | 10th | 70th | 2nd | 32nd |
| Blocks | 16th | 7th | 4th | 6th |
| Years | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
LeBron James vs. Shaquille O'Neal: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| Points | 1st | 4th | 1st | 4th |
| Rebounds | 13th | 7th | 7th | 4th |
| Assists | 3rd | 56th | 3rd | 41st |
| Steals | 3rd | 116th | 3rd | 71st |
| Blocks | 25th | 3rd | 18th | 5th |
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Heat Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 5th | 20th | 15 | 7,919 vs. 4,010 | 3,909 |
| Rebounds | 12th | 14th | 2 | 2,225 vs. 1,856 | 369 |
| Assists | 6th | 41st | 35 | 1,980 vs. 437 | 1,543 |
| Steals | 10th | 70th | 60 | 489 vs. 86 | 403 |
| Blocks | 16th | 7th | 9 | 193 vs. 384 | 191 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 18th | 10th | 8 | 352 vs. 621 | 269 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 9th | 16th | 7 | 1,873 vs. 1,235 | 638 |
| Field Goals Made | 5th | 18th | 13 | 2,911 vs. 1,612 | 1,299 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 8th | 22nd | 14 | 5,361 vs. 2,703 | 2,658 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 15th | +150th | +135 | 365 vs. 0 | 365 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 15th | +150th | +135 | 988 vs. 0 | 988 |
| Free Throws Made | 6th | 17th | 11 | 1,732 vs. 786 | 946 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 6th | 9th | 3 | 2,285 vs. 1,708 | 577 |
Games and Years: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 23rd | 42nd | 19 | 294 vs. 205 | 89 |
| Seasons | 29th | 29th | 0 | 4 vs. 4 | 0 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 2nd | 6th | 4 | 10 vs. 1 | 9 |
| 50+ point games | 2nd | - | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | 1st | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Heat Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 2,338 vs. 751 | 1,587 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 8th | 5 | 734 vs. 361 | 373 |
| Assists | 2nd | 20th | 18 | 499 vs. 69 | 430 |
| Steals | 2nd | 32nd | 30 | 155 vs. 17 | 138 |
| Blocks | 4th | 6th | 2 | 70 vs. 59 | 11 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | 8th | 2 | 139 vs. 110 | 29 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 8th | 6 | 595 vs. 251 | 344 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 8th | 6 | 829 vs. 312 | 517 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 12th | 10 | 1,647 vs. 531 | 1,116 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 2nd | +150th | +148 | 123 vs. 0 | 123 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 2nd | +150th | +148 | 352 vs. 0 | 352 |
| Free Throws Made | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 557 vs. 127 | 430 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 6th | 4 | 725 vs. 315 | 410 |
Games and Years: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 4th | 20th | 16 | 87 vs. 40 | 47 |
| Playoffs | 13th | 24th | 11 | 4 vs. 3 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 3rd | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Heat Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 1st | 4th | 3 | 26.94 vs. 19.56 | 7.37 |
| Rebounds per game | 13th | 7th | 6 | 7.57 vs. 9.05 | 1.49 |
| Assists per game | 3rd | 56th | 53 | 6.73 vs. 2.13 | 4.60 |
| Steals per game | 3rd | 116th | 113 | 1.66 vs. 0.42 | 1.24 |
| Blocks per game | 25th | 3rd | 22 | 0.66 vs. 1.87 | 1.22 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 53rd | 4th | 49 | 1.20 vs. 3.03 | 1.83 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 8th | 9th | 1 | 6.37 vs. 6.02 | 0.35 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 3rd | 2 | 9.90 vs. 7.86 | 2.04 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 1st | 10th | 9 | 18.23 vs. 13.19 | 5.05 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 37th | +150th | +113 | 1.24 vs. 0.00 | 1.24 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 38th | +150th | +112 | 3.36 vs. 0.00 | 3.36 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 2nd | 8th | 6 | 5.89 vs. 3.83 | 2.06 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 3rd | 1st | 2 | 7.77 vs. 8.33 | 0.56 |
Heat Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | LeBron James | Shaquille O'Neal | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 1st | 4th | 3 | 26.87 vs. 18.78 | 8.10 |
| Rebounds per game | 7th | 4th | 3 | 8.44 vs. 9.03 | 0.59 |
| Assists per game | 3rd | 41st | 38 | 5.74 vs. 1.73 | 4.01 |
| Steals per game | 3rd | 71st | 68 | 1.78 vs. 0.43 | 1.36 |
| Blocks per game | 18th | 5th | 13 | 0.80 vs. 1.48 | 0.67 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 17th | 6th | 11 | 1.60 vs. 2.75 | 1.15 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 3rd | 5th | 2 | 6.84 vs. 6.28 | 0.56 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 1st | 4th | 3 | 9.53 vs. 7.80 | 1.73 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 1st | 8th | 7 | 18.93 vs. 13.28 | 5.66 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 23rd | +150th | +127 | 1.41 vs. 0.00 | 1.41 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 24th | +150th | +126 | 4.05 vs. 0.00 | 4.05 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 2nd | 12th | 10 | 6.40 vs. 3.18 | 3.23 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 3rd | 2 | 8.33 vs. 7.88 | 0.46 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Heat franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.