Cross-era · careers 28 years apart

LeBron James vs Billy Cunningham

LeBron James 2003-2025 · Forward · active Billy Cunningham 1965-1975 · Forward

LeBron James (2003-2025) and Billy Cunningham (1965-1975) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 28 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 20.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.70× and 1.88× their league average respectively; LeBron James was the more efficient scorer (60.8% true shooting to 50.3%). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to Billy Cunningham's #64.

Career averages

LeBron JamesStatBilly Cunningham
26.8 Points / game 20.8
7.4 Rebounds / game 10.2
7.4 Assists / game 4.0
1.5 Steals / game 0.2
0.7 Blocks / game 0.1
50.8% Field goal % 44.5%
34.7% 3-point % 0.0%
73.7% Free throw % 71.8%
60.8% True shooting % 50.3%
1,622 Games played 654

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

LeBron JamesStatBilly Cunningham
2.70× Points vs era avg 1.88×
1.80× Rebounds vs era avg 1.88×
3.36× Assists vs era avg 1.76×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Billy Cunningham's era.

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

Playoff averages

LeBron JamesStatBilly Cunningham
28.4 Points / game 19.4
9.0 Rebounds / game 9.1
7.2 Assists / game 3.2
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
1.0 Blocks / game 0.0
49.8% Field goal % 40.6%
33.2% 3-point % 0.0%
73.8% Free throw % 69.4%
292 Playoff games 39

Accolades

LeBron JamesStatBilly Cunningham
4 MVP awards 0
4 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 1
21 All-Star selections 4
13 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#3 All-time GOAT rank #64

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