Lebron James was born at the end of 1984. He is considered one of the greatest basketballers to step foot inside the basketball court.
He is undoubtedly equal to what Michael Jordan was at the peak of his career, and people usually argue while comparing them. Lebron was first drafted in the NBA in the year 2003 by Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then, he has been hired by 2 other franchises.
In this article, we will discuss the love story between Lebron James and the NBA championship trophy. Let the greatness sink into your heart as we are about to enlighten you regarding the stats that define Lebron’s career.
The Overall Numbers
Lebron’s numbers are impressive ever since he has started playing in the NBA. These stats improve incredibly in the playoffs, where he has performed brilliantly and second to none. Here are some eyebrow-raising numbers from Lebron’s career:
- He holds the record of the 4th most points scored in the championship and the top scorer in playoffs.
- He sits at number 10 when we talk about total assists in the NBA. This ranking betters to number 3 when we consider the playoffs only.
- Played the highest number of minutes in the playoff.
- Most steals in the playoffs.
LeBron James, who had the best points per game record in 2019 (his 16th year in the championship), has been playing and scoring points for fun. The impressive record will go on increasing in the future if he does not retire.
James is mentioned amongst the players who have a will power as tough as steel. He plays to win, and this is what he has repeatedly said in his interview, which is indeed the case throughout his career. For your information, he has played all the finals from 2011 to 2018.
So, let’s look at his career and analyze his time with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers.
The Cavaliers (origin of greatness)
LeBron joined the league with an already established popularity. With his first-ever drafting in the NBA, the Cavaliers were surely impressed by his stats.
Though he could not make his team qualify for the finals during the initial years, he did add some worthy achievements to his name. In his first year, he was named Rookie of the Year with a subsequent selection in the All-Star team in years to come.
In the 4th year, the Cavaliers finally made their way into the finals, facing the San Antonio Spurs. Spurs manhandled the Cavaliers in the face-off, but LeBron did catch the eyes of certain critics and viewers. This was only the start of a majestic love story between James and the NBA finals.
The Miami Heat (the first win)
LeBron James parted his way with the Cavaliers to get himself recruited in the Miami Heat. Many media personalities criticized his selection. Many channels termed it as a career-daunting decision because Miami Heat never enjoyed a good reputation.
Apart from all this, Heat did qualify for finals in all the years when James was with them (2010 to 2014). The success rate was 50-50 as the franchise became the champions a couple of times.
2011
Miami Heat comprehensively swept Dallas Maverick & Dirk Nowitzki in all the games played (6). Ultimately Mavericks defeated them to win the title.
2012
LeBron James finally managed to take his team home by winning the title. The excellent showing against a young team like Oklahoma City Thunder tried their best, but Miami Heat was too hot to handle.
2013
Heat and LeBron dominated San Antonio Spurs in the seven games. The finals are still remembered as the best so far. James did take revenge from the opponents who beat the Cavaliers in the first finals that he played.
2014
Talk about revenge. The Spurs defeated the Heat in the subsequent year. Kwahi Leonard showed his leadership skills this time.
Back to Cavaliers (a consistent run)
LeBron James made an unexpected return to his initial NBA franchise. The Cleveland Cavaliers seized the moment and went on to their best league run ever.
While many people criticized James’ decision, he already knew what he is doing. Going from the settled Miami Heat to a developing team like Cleveland Cavaliers must have been a difficult decision to make.
2015
After Miami Heat, LeBron immediately made his team qualify into the finals again. This time, he could not win the ultimate price, as the Golden State Warriors threw Cavaliers out from the race. The fans still could not believe that they need to wait again for their first title ever.
2016
LeBron and the Cavaliers finally broke the shekels and defeated the Warriors easily in the finals. With 15 points gap in the last game, they sealed the championship with their first and only NBA title.
2017
Going against the same opponents yet again, the Cavaliers were manhandled by the Warriors, where they lost 5 of their games. The inclusion of Kevin Durant in the Warriors team was definitely the winning factor. Cavaliers were underdogs since the time they qualified.
2018
Yet another year in the NBA championship, but the scenes were still the same. LeBron was playing the finals again, and the Warriors and Cavaliers qualified. The result was also the same where Warriors defeated the Cavaliers to win their back-to-back titles and the third title overall.
Conclusion
After winning 1 out of the 4 finals he played, LeBron went to the Los Angeles Lakers. Though the team was pretty strong on paper, James could not make them qualify for the finals. James missed 27 of his games in the league stage, and this ended his 8-year streak of playing the NBA finals.
So what do we learn from LeBron James’ career? It teaches us to keep working hard to get what you want, and once you have it, maintain it by being consistent with your efforts.
In the end, the greatness might not last for long, and this is why we say, “Do not be sad that it ended, be happy that it happened.”