Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

LeBron James vs Artis Gilmore

LeBron James 2003-2025 · Forward · active Artis Gilmore 1976-1987 · Center

LeBron James (2003-2025) and Artis Gilmore (1976-1987) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, LeBron James was the higher-volume scorer (26.8 points per game to 17.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.70× and 1.67× their league average respectively; Artis Gilmore was the more efficient scorer (64.3% true shooting to 60.8%). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to Artis Gilmore's #73.

Career averages

LeBron JamesStatArtis Gilmore
26.8 Points / game 17.1
7.4 Rebounds / game 10.1
7.4 Assists / game 1.9
1.5 Steals / game 0.5
0.7 Blocks / game 1.9
50.8% Field goal % 60.1%
34.7% 3-point % 9.0%
73.7% Free throw % 70.1%
60.8% True shooting % 64.3%
1,622 Games played 909

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

LeBron JamesStatArtis Gilmore
2.70× Points vs era avg 1.67×
1.80× Rebounds vs era avg 2.35×
3.36× Assists vs era avg 0.80×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Artis Gilmore's era.

LeBron JamesStatArtis Gilmore
113.8 Offensive rating —
107.9 Defensive rating —
5.9 Net rating —
27.2% Usage % —
34.1% Assist % —
10.7% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

LeBron JamesStatArtis Gilmore
28.4 Points / game 11.7
9.0 Rebounds / game 8.0
7.2 Assists / game 1.1
1.7 Steals / game 0.6
1.0 Blocks / game 1.7
49.8% Field goal % 54.9%
33.2% 3-point % 0.0%
73.8% Free throw % 62.7%
292 Playoff games 42

Accolades

LeBron JamesStatArtis Gilmore
4 MVP awards 0
4 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 1
21 All-Star selections 6
13 All-NBA 1st Team 5
#3 All-time GOAT rank #73

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