Cross-era · careers 32 years apart

LeBron James vs Elgin Baylor

LeBron James 2003-2025 · Forward · active Elgin Baylor 1958-1971 · Forward

LeBron James (2003-2025) and Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 32 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elgin Baylor was the higher-volume scorer (27.4 points per game to 26.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.70× and 2.34× their league average respectively; LeBron James was the more efficient scorer (60.8% true shooting to 49.4%). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to Elgin Baylor's #30.

Career averages

LeBron JamesStatElgin Baylor
26.8 Points / game 27.4
7.4 Rebounds / game 13.5
7.4 Assists / game 4.3
1.5 Steals / game 0.0
0.7 Blocks / game 0.0
50.8% Field goal % 43.1%
34.7% 3-point % 0.0%
73.7% Free throw % 78.0%
60.8% True shooting % 49.4%
1,622 Games played 846

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

LeBron JamesStatElgin Baylor
2.70× Points vs era avg 2.34×
1.80× Rebounds vs era avg 2.21×
3.36× Assists vs era avg 1.97×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.

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

Playoff averages

LeBron JamesStatElgin Baylor
28.4 Points / game 27.0
9.0 Rebounds / game 12.9
7.2 Assists / game 4.0
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
1.0 Blocks / game 0.0
49.8% Field goal % 43.4%
33.2% 3-point % 0.0%
73.8% Free throw % 75.3%
292 Playoff games 134

Accolades

LeBron JamesStatElgin Baylor
4 MVP awards 0
4 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 1
21 All-Star selections 11
13 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#3 All-time GOAT rank #30

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