LeBron James
2025–26
NBA player comparison
LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry: 2025–26 season
Regular-season verdict
Stephen Curry has the higher model estimate for the 2025–26 season
This is a model estimate for the selected season. Its lineup adjustment also draws on earlier seasons; it is not a measurement of this season’s teammate improvement.
Stephen Curry
2025–26
Impact comparison
+1.3Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2Leads
#72Season impact rank#7Leads
+0.43LeadsEstimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-1.46
-0.24Estimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+3.61Leads
1.8%Steal rate1.8%
14.5%Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload11.9%Leads
27.2%Offensive usage32.5%
59.4%True shooting %63.7%Leads
34.1%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court27.0%
10.7%LeadsRebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court6.5%
60Games43
1,989Minutes1,329
Stephen Curry's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +3.2, compared with +1.3 for LeBron James. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
LeBron James: 60 games and 1,989 minutes. Stephen Curry: 43 games and 1,329 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
Stephen Curry ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
+1.70From recorded individual stats+3.13Leads
-0.40Adjustment from recent lineup results+0.09Leads
+1.30Final estimated impact+3.22Leads
Lineup evidence: LeBron James — 3 seasons; Stephen Curry — 3 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.
Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season
These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
-0.24Adjusted offensive impact+3.61Leads
+0.43LeadsAdjusted defensive impact-1.46
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 2025–26 season
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +1.3 | +3.2Better result for this metric. |
| Season impact rank | #72 | #7Better result for this metric. |
| From recorded individual stats | +1.70 | +3.13Better result for this metric. |
| Adjustment from recent lineup results | -0.40 | +0.09Better result for this metric. |
LeBron James: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Stephen Curry: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Final estimated impact | +1.30 | +3.22Better result for this metric. |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 60 | 43 |
| Minutes | 1,989 | 1,329 |
| Offensive usage | 27.2% | 32.5% |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 59.4% | 63.7%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 51.5%Better result for this metric. | 46.8% |
| Three-point percentage | 31.7% | 39.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 73.7% | 92.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality | 26.4% | 60.6% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court | 34.1%Better result for this metric. | 27.0% |
| Assists per game | 7.2Better result for this metric. | 4.7 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload | 14.5% | 11.9%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court | 10.7%Better result for this metric. | 6.5% |
| Rebounds per game | 6.1Better result for this metric. | 3.6 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rate | 1.8% | 1.8% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court | 1.6%Better result for this metric. | 1.2% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 20.9 | 26.6Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates
These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.
| Metric | LeBron James | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted offensive impact | -0.24 | +3.61Better result for this metric. |
| Adjusted defensive impact | +0.43Better result for this metric. | -1.46 |
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Stephen Curry has the higher model estimate for the 2025–26 season.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
+1.3Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2Leads
#72Season impact rank#7Leads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
LeBron James leads every available measure below.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
1,141LeadsListed-team regular-season wins787
61.7%LeadsListed-team winning percentage58.3%
14Leads50-win team seasons7
360-win team seasons3
19LeadsPlayoff team seasons10
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
LeBron James leads every available measure below.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
19LeadsPlayoff appearances10
302LeadsPlayoff games155
188LeadsTeam playoff wins113
10LeadsFinals appearances6
4Championships4
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
LeBron James leads every available measure below.
LeBron JamesMetricStephen Curry
22LeadsAll-Star12
4LeadsMVP2
21LeadsAll-NBA11
6LeadsAll-Defense0
0DPOY0
1LeadsRookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Selected seasons
Era-centered impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
LeBron JamesStephen Curry
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average