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

LaMelo Ball vs LeBron James

8-9categories
Ball · James

Ball

Timberwolves

2025-26

James

76ers

Games

availability

28.0

Minutes

per game

33.2

20.1

Points

per game

20.9

4.8

Rebounds

per game

6.1

7.1

Assists

per game

7.2

1.5

Steals + blocks

per game

1.8

2.8

Turnovers

per game · lower is better

3.0

40.7%

Field goal %

51.5%

36.8%

Three-point %

10.3 vs 4.1 attempts

31.7%

89.9%

Free throw %

73.7%

54.6%

True shooting

TS%

59.4%

30.6%

Usage

USG%

26.2%

38.4%

Assist %

of teammates' baskets

33.8%

8.4%

Rebound %

of available

9.3%

+9.1

Net rating

on court

+2.6

13.4%

PIE

player impact estimate

15.4%

+5.8

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

LeBron James scored more in 2025-26, 0.8 points a game apart (20.9 vs 20.1), on Ball's heavier usage (30.6% vs 26.2%).

James is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 59.4% to 54.6%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to James (7.2 vs 7.1 assists), the glass to James (6.1 vs 4.8 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Ball played 12 more games (72 vs 60 of 82).

With Ball on the floor his team outscored opponents by +9.1 per 100 possessions, against +2.6 for James; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Ball $40.8M 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

Ball

2025-26

James

41-31

Record when playing

39-21

19.5

Points at home

20.7

20.6

Points on the road

21.2

20.4

Points in wins

21.3

19.6

Points in losses

20.2

Season high

30-point games

Double-doubles

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →

Ball · last 5

Wed, Oct 21 at MIA21 pts · 2 reb · 6 ast

Fri, Oct 16 at CHI0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast

Wed, Oct 14 vs DET3 pts · 2 reb · 6 ast

Mon, Oct 12 at NYK10 pts · 3 reb · 7 ast

Wed, Oct 7 at IND14 pts · 4 reb · 7 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

Ball · contract

2026-27$40.8M

2027-28$43.6M

2028-29$46.4M

James · contract

2026-27$3.9M

2027-28player option$4.1M

More comparisons

pick any two players →

Ball vs
Desmond Bane · Dillon Brooks · Tyler Herro · Ja Morant

James vs
Zion Williamson · Cooper Flagg · Julius Randle · Franz Wagner

Ball 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 · LeBron James · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · 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).