Cross-era · careers 39 years apart
LeBron James vs Bob Pettit
LeBron James (2003-2025) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 39 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 26.4); adjusted for era they scored at 2.70× and 2.33× their league average respectively; LeBron James was the more efficient scorer (60.8% true shooting to 51.1%). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.
Career averages
| LeBron James | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 26.8 |
Points / game |
26.4 |
| 7.4 |
Rebounds / game |
16.2 |
| 7.4 |
Assists / game |
3.0 |
| 1.5 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 50.8% |
Field goal % |
43.5% |
| 34.7% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 73.7% |
Free throw % |
76.2% |
| 60.8% |
True shooting % |
51.1% |
| 1,622 |
Games played |
792 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| LeBron James | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 2.70× |
Points vs era avg |
2.33× |
| 1.80× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.61× |
| 3.36× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.32× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.
| LeBron James | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 113.8 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 107.9 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 5.9 |
Net rating |
— |
| 27.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 34.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 10.7% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| LeBron James | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 28.4 |
Points / game |
25.5 |
| 9.0 |
Rebounds / game |
14.8 |
| 7.2 |
Assists / game |
2.7 |
| 1.7 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 1.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 49.8% |
Field goal % |
41.4% |
| 33.2% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 73.8% |
Free throw % |
77.9% |
| 292 |
Playoff games |
88 |
Accolades
| LeBron James | Stat | Bob Pettit |
|---|
| 4 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 4 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 4 |
Championships |
1 |
| 21 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 13 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #3 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#22 |