LeBron James and Stephen Curry have certainly been two of the most influential players defining the modern era of the NBA. While LeBron James revolutionized the game with his impressive basketball IQ on the floor, Stephen Curry’s unbelievable shooting prowess elevated the league’s scoring level.
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These star players have played at the highest level in the league, battling against each other in four Finals appearances. While one contested to become the greatest player ever to set foot on the hardwood, the other sought to become the greatest shooter and point guard in the sport’s history.
Though both LeBron James and Stephen Curry have impressive resumes to prove their legendary statuses, let’s deep dive into analyzing the highest-scoring season of their respective careers and find out who among the two stood to be a better scorer in their best seasons in the league.
LeBron James (2005-06 season)
LeBron James achieved the remarkable feat of having his highest-scoring season in his third year of playing in the NBA. That season, James averaged 31.4 points per game and was also the leading scorer for his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James played 79 games that season, averaging 42.5 minutes per game, which also stands as one of his career-high stats. Thanks to James’ prowess, the Cleveland Cavaliers returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. They finished in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, only to be eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in a 3-4 loss in that series.
In his highest-scoring season, James averaged 23.1 field goal attempts per game, of which he averaged 11.1 in field goals made, giving him an impressive 48% field goal percentage. Furthermore, James also recorded 4.8 3PAs and 1.6 3PMs, giving him another credible scoring credential of shooting 33.5% of his three-pointers that season.
Combined with his 73.8% free throw percentage, James also had 7 rebounds and 6.6 assists on average that season, further complimenting this season as one of the best in James’s career.
Stephen Curry (2020-21)
Stephen Curry achieved his highest-scoring average much later than LeBron James in the 2020-21 season. In that season, Curry put up an impressive 32-points per-game average, thus winning the scoring title as well. Curry played 63 games that season, which was shortened to 72 games while averaging 34.2 minutes on the floor.
In terms of averages, Curry logged 6.6 field goals, shooting 45.2 percent field goals, on an average of 6.6 field goals and 14.3 field goal attempts. Furthermore, Curry shot 43.7 percent of his three shots with an average of 2.1 three-pointers and 4.8 attempts per game.
Curry continued to show his incredible shooting ability on most nights that season. In April 2021, the Dubs superstar broke the record for most three-pointers in a month, scoring 85 triplets to break James Harden’s previous record of 82 in November 2019. Furthermore, in that very same season, Curry made his seventh All-Star appearance and broke the record for most triplets made in a three-point competition during the All-Star weekend.
Who has a better highest-scoring season?
It is worth noting that Stephen Curry and LeBron James achieved such remarkable feats without proper help during their highest-scoring seasons. In the 2005-06 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers lacked enough talent or star power, while in 2020-21, the Golden State Warriors struggled to keep pace after their championship-winning dynasty started dwindling in form.
However, if we were to compare both seasons, LeBron James seems to have had a better one. James attained his highest-scoring feat with fewer three-point shots than the bulk of triplets Curry took to reach his average. Furthermore, while just being in his third year in the league, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first playoffs since 1998 that season. However, on the other hand, Curry and the Warriors failed to make it to the post-season and bounced out in the Play-In tournament.
