Cross-era · careers 26 years apart

LeBron James vs John Havlicek

LeBron James 2003-2025 · Forward · active John Havlicek 1962-1977 · Forward

LeBron James (2003-2025) and John Havlicek (1962-1977) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 26 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 1.89× their league average respectively; LeBron James was the more efficient scorer (60.8% true shooting to 49.2%). LeBron James holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 4 championships, 4 Finals MVPs and the #3 all-time ranking to John Havlicek's #11.

Career averages

LeBron JamesStatJohn Havlicek
26.8 Points / game 20.8
7.4 Rebounds / game 6.3
7.4 Assists / game 4.8
1.5 Steals / game 0.4
0.7 Blocks / game 0.1
50.8% Field goal % 43.9%
34.7% 3-point % 0.0%
73.7% Free throw % 81.3%
60.8% True shooting % 49.2%
1,622 Games played 1,270

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

LeBron JamesStatJohn Havlicek
2.70× Points vs era avg 1.89×
1.80× Rebounds vs era avg 1.17×
3.36× Assists vs era avg 2.14×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in John Havlicek's era.

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

Playoff averages

LeBron JamesStatJohn Havlicek
28.4 Points / game 22.0
9.0 Rebounds / game 6.9
7.2 Assists / game 4.8
1.7 Steals / game 0.3
1.0 Blocks / game 0.1
49.8% Field goal % 43.5%
33.2% 3-point % 0.0%
73.8% Free throw % 82.7%
292 Playoff games 172

Accolades

LeBron JamesStatJohn Havlicek
4 MVP awards 0
4 Finals MVP 1
4 Championships 8
21 All-Star selections 13
13 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#3 All-time GOAT rank #11

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