Hoops Nightly
Cooper Flagg
Mavericks · F · 19
Cooper Flagg
vs
2025-26
LeBron James
76ers · F · 41
LeBron James
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Cooper Flagg vs LeBron James

8-8categories
Flagg · James
Cooper Flagg
Flagg
Mavericks
2025-26
James
76ers
LeBron James
70
Games
availability
60
33.5
Minutes
per game
33.2
21.0
Points
per game
20.9
6.7
Rebounds
per game
6.1
4.5
Assists
per game
7.2
2.1
Steals + blocks
per game
1.8
2.3
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
3.0
46.8%
Field goal %
51.5%
29.5%
Three-point %
3.5 vs 4.1 attempts
31.7%
82.7%
Free throw %
73.7%
54.8%
True shooting
TS%
59.4%
26.4%
Usage
USG%
26.2%
21.2%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
33.8%
9.3%
Rebound %
of available
9.3%
-5.2
Net rating
on court
+2.6
12.8%
PIE
player impact estimate
15.4%
-3.8
Plus-minus
per game
+2.0
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Cooper Flagg scored more in 2025-26, 0.1 points a game apart (21.0 vs 20.9), on Flagg's heavier usage (26.4% vs 26.2%).

James is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 59.4% to 54.8%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to James (7.2 vs 4.5 assists), the glass to Flagg (6.7 vs 6.1 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Flagg played 10 more games (70 vs 60 of 82).

With James on the floor his team outscored opponents by +2.6 per 100 possessions, against -5.2 for Flagg; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Flagg $14.5M through 2028-29, James $3.9M through 2027-28. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Flagg
2025-26
James
22-48
Record when playing
39-21
21.7
Points at home
20.7
20.3
Points on the road
21.2
22.4
Points in wins
21.3
20.4
Points in losses
20.2
51
Season high
36
11
30-point games
6
13
Double-doubles
17

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →
Flagg · last 5
Wed, Oct 21 at HOU32 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast
Fri, Oct 16 vs ATL26 pts · 12 reb · 4 ast
Sun, Oct 11 at HOU14 pts · 4 reb · 7 ast
Fri, Oct 9 vs HOU19 pts · 6 reb · 3 ast
Sun, Apr 12 vs CHI10 pts · 4 reb · 1 ast
James · last 5
Tue, Oct 20 at NYK14 pts · 9 reb · 7 ast
Fri, Oct 16 vs BOS8 pts · 8 reb · 7 ast
Sat, Oct 10 at BOS0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Thu, Oct 8 at BKN10 pts · 4 reb · 5 ast
Mon, Oct 5 vs NYK0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Flagg · contract
2026-27$14.5M
2027-28$15.2M
2028-29$19.2M
James · contract
2026-27$3.9M
2027-28player option$4.1M

More comparisons

pick any two players →
Flagg vs
Zion Williamson · LeBron James · Julius Randle · Franz Wagner
James vs
Zion Williamson · Cooper Flagg · Julius Randle · Franz Wagner
Flagg vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Lauri Markkanen · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · James Harden · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Zion Williamson · LeBron James · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Karl-Anthony Towns · Desmond Bane
James vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Lauri Markkanen · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · James Harden · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Cooper Flagg · Zion Williamson · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Karl-Anthony Towns · Desmond Bane

Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).