LeBron James
Teams
Cleveland Cavaliers - 2003-10, 2014-18
Miami Heat - 2010-14
Los Angeles Lakers - 2018-present
Playoffs
Appearances - 15 (2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2020,2021)
Conference Finals - 11 (2007,2009,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2020)
NBA Finals - 10 (2007,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2020)
Championships - 4 (2012,2013,2016,2020)
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 2004
MVP - 4 (2009,2010,2012,2013,2018,2020)
Finals MVP - 4 (2012,2013,2016,2020)
All-NBA First Team - 13 (2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2020)
All-NBA Second Team - 3 (2005,2007,2021)
All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2019,2021)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Points - #3
Points Per Game - #6
Total Assists - #8
Three-Pointers Made - #13
Total Steals - #14
Assists Per Game - #23
Total Rebounds - #46
Steals Per Game - #70
League Leads
Total Points (#1-2018, #2-2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012, #3-2013,2014, #4-2015,2016)
Points Per Game (#1-2008, #2-2009,2010,2011, #3-2005,2006,2012,2014,2015,2018, #4-2007,2013, #5-2016)
Total Assists (#1-2020, #2-2018, #5-2005,2017)
Total Steals (#2-2005, #4-2012)
Field Goal Percentage (#4-2014, #5-2013)
Assists Per Game (#1-2020, #2-2018)
Steals Per Game (#3-2005,2012)
After winning 3 state championships in 4 years of high school, LeBron James was drafted by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers with the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
James had a very strong rookie season, averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, and was the runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award. He helped the Cavaliers double their win total from the previous year, but they still fell short of missing the playoffs.
In his second season, he averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, a clear improvement over the previous season, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, the first of 17 straight seasons being named to one of the teams, a streak that is still active and the longest of any player in history. The team improved again, but still fell just short of making the playoffs.
In his third season, he averaged a career high 31.4 points per game, along with 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, and finished as the MVP runner-up. He led Cleveland to the playoffs for the first time in his career, and they advanced to the second round, where their playoff run ended.
In 2007, his regular season averages dropped off a bit, but in the playoffs, he led Cleveland all the way to the NBA Finals despite not having any other star players on the roster. They faced the experienced Spurs in that series, and LeBron was unable to overcome the star power of San Antonio, who swept the series.
The next year, LeBron led the league in scoring for the first time with 30.0 per game, along with 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, but the team lost to Boston in the second round. The next year, he led Cleveland to 66 wins, best in the league, and won his first MVP award. He led the Cavaliers to the Conference Finals, but despite his 35.3 points per game in the playoffs, they weren't able to beat the Magic, losing one step short of the Finals for the only time in his career so far.
He led Cleveland to the best record in the league again the next season, and won a second straight MVP after averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. Despite this, they only reached the second round of the playoffs, losing to Boston in 6 games, even though LeBron had a triple-double in the final game.
After that season, LeBron decided to leave Cleveland as a free agent and sign with Miami, though he officially ended up being traded for 4 draft picks. He joined former Finals MVP Dwyane Wade on the Heat, and the pair was able to lead Miami to the NBA Finals, but LeBron struggled in that series, averaging only 17.8 points per game, and they lost to Dallas in 6 games.
He bounced back in a big way the next season, averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, and won his third MVP in 4 seasons. He led Miami back to the Finals, and averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists against the Thunder, including a triple-double in the deciding 5th game, winning his first championship and Finals MVP as a result.
The next year he led the Heat to the best record in the league while his averages remained pretty much the same as the year before, which earned him his 4th MVP award, a number surpassed by only Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He led Miami back to the Finals, where they beat the Spurs in 7 games, with LeBron scoring 37 in the final game to earn his second straight Finals MVP.
The Heat struggled with injuries the next year, with LeBron being one of the few players to remain healthy throughout the year, but he was still able to lead Miami to the Finals for the 4th year in a row. They had a rematch with the Spurs, his third time facing them in the Finals, and they ended up falling short, losing to San Antonio in 5 games.
After that season, LeBron decided to leave as a free agent and return to Cleveland, feeling that he still owed the city a championship. He had another strong season back with the Cavaliers, and led them to the Finals for the second time in team history, where they faced Golden State. James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the Finals, but it wasn't enough to beat the Warriors, who took the title in 6 games.
The next year, Cleveland coasted through the first 3 rounds of the playoffs, losing only 2 games on their way back to the Finals, where they met the record-setting 73-win Warriors. Cleveland fell behind 3-1 in the Finals, but LeBron had back-to-back 41-point games to even the series, then a triple-double in Game 7 to complete the comeback. He averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks in the Finals, becoming the first player ever to lead both teams in all 5 categories in a playoff round and earning his 3rd Finals MVP.
He led Cleveland back to the Finals again the next year, the 7th year in a row that he would play in the last round, and they were once again facing the Warriors, this time with Kevin Durant added to their rivals. James became the first player to ever average a triple-double in the Finals, with 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists, but it wasn't enough to prevent Cleveland from losing in 5 games.
In his 4th season back in Cleveland, he reached the NBA Finals yet again, the 8th straight time he had reached that point, something that has never been done by anyone who didn't play for the Celtics in the 1960s. He had another great individual series, but the team had traded away Kyrie Irving before the season, leaving him without a star teammate, and Cleveland's season ended in a sweep.
He decided to leave Cleveland again after that season, joining the Lakers as a free agent, hoping to resurrect another franchise that had missed the playoffs for several years in a row. He injured his groin on Christmas Day, the first major injury of his career, and he ended up missing 27 total games, and the Lakers were unable to reach the playoffs without their star on the court.
The Lakers traded for Anthony Davis before the next season, and LeBron shifted to playing more of a point guard role, even leading the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the 13th time, 2 more than any other player in history, and led the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they beat the Heat in 6 games, with James earning his 4th Finals MVP, becoming the second-oldest player to ever win the award.
Last season, James suffered an ankle injury that caused him to miss the most games he has ever missed in his career, returning just in time to start the playoffs. He did finish the season with an average of 25.0 points per game, marking the 17th year in a row he had met that mark, but the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs after Davis suffered a groin injury, spoiling their chance at a repeat.
LeBron James has played at a high level for longer than any other player in history. He has averaged at least 25 points per game for the past 17 seasons, 5 more than any other player ever, and has reached the NBA Finals 10 times, a number only Sam Jones and Bill Russell have surpassed, though James is the only one who was the best player on all 10 Finals teams. He has been named to the All-NBA First Team 13 times, all well-deserved, which is 2 times more than anyone else, and he is still playing at the same high level, which leaves room to extend all of those marks.
He is currently #3 on the all-time scoring list, behind only Kareem and Karl Malone, and is also #8 on the all-time assist leaderboard, the only player in the top 30 who was not a point guard. His career scoring average of 27.0 per game is #6 all time, despite the fact that he has only led the league in scoring once. There are many players with great longevity, many with great playoff success, many who are great in 2 or 3 different statistical categories, but LeBron James has excelled in all of these areas, and is the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.
No comments:
Post a Comment