The Tape
Was LeBron James better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
LeBron James, 2003-present, against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2018-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the bigger scorer: 32.9 a game in 2024-25 against 31.1 for LeBron James in 2012-13. That is a real gap of 1.8 points, not an era illusion — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's league averaged 113.4 and LeBron James's averaged 98.1.
LeBron James wins the glass by 3 rebounds a game (8 to 5), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
LeBron James: The all-time leading scorer, in 10 Finals, still starting in his 22nd season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: An MVP and a title in the same season, built on the most efficient mid-range diet since the rules changed.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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