Hoops Nightly
vs
2025-26
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Desmond Bane vs LeBron James

6-11categories
Bane · James
Desmond Bane
Bane
Magic
2025-26
James
76ers
LeBron James
82
Games
availability
60
33.6
Minutes
per game
33.2
20.1
Points
per game
20.9
4.1
Rebounds
per game
6.1
4.1
Assists
per game
7.2
1.5
Steals + blocks
per game
1.8
2.0
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
3.0
48.4%
Field goal %
51.5%
39.1%
Three-point %
5.2 vs 4.1 attempts
31.7%
90.8%
Free throw %
73.7%
60.7%
True shooting
TS%
59.4%
22.4%
Usage
USG%
26.2%
19.0%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
33.8%
5.9%
Rebound %
of available
9.3%
+2.2
Net rating
on court
+2.6
11.1%
PIE
player impact estimate
15.4%
+1.6
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

LeBron James scored more in 2025-26, 0.8 points a game apart (20.9 vs 20.1), on James's heavier usage (26.2% vs 22.4%).

Bane is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 60.7% to 59.4%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to James (7.2 vs 4.1 assists), the glass to James (6.1 vs 4.1 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Bane played 22 more games (82 vs 60 of 82).

With James on the floor his team outscored opponents by +2.6 per 100 possessions, against +2.2 for Bane; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Bane $39.4M 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
Bane
2025-26
James
45-37
Record when playing
39-21
21.4
Points at home
20.7
18.8
Points on the road
21.2
22.3
Points in wins
21.3
17.4
Points in losses
20.2
37
Season high
36
12
30-point games
6
1
Double-doubles
17
Bane · last 5
Wed, Oct 21 vs ATL18 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast
Fri, Oct 16 vs MIA23 pts · 2 reb · 1 ast
Tue, Oct 13 vs CLE8 pts · 2 reb · 3 ast
Sun, Oct 11 at CLE0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Wed, Oct 7 at MEM9 pts · 1 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
Bane · contract
2026-27$39.4M
2027-28$42.2M
2028-29$44.9M
James · contract
2026-27$3.9M
2027-28player option$4.1M

More comparisons

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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).