After coming in as one of the best-rated prospects in NBA history, LeBron James took nine years to win his first championship. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Miami Heat teams led by James making the playoffs every year since 2005. He even made two NBA Finals appearances. The first was against the legendary San Antonio Spurs team in 2007.
James’s second NBA Finals appearance is arguably one of the most infamous due to his meltdown in the 2011 series against the Dallas Mavericks. Eventually, though, he found the mantra for success. James went to eight more finals and won four NBA Championships, including completing the only 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history. So, let’s revisit his four Championship wins.
Revisiting LeBron James’ NBA Championship Wins
2012 – Miami Heat Defeats Oklahoma City Thunder
James was undeterred by the 2011 meltdown in the Finals and put up another MVP season the following year. The Heat took on the Thunder in the NBA Finals, and with James in charge, they came out victorious in six games.
James was unanimously voted the NBA Finals MVP with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. His full postseason run, in which he averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, was ranked the second-best of all time by ESPN in 2012
3 years ago today, LeBron James won his 4th championship and 4th Finals MVP 👑 pic.twitter.com/WbdAziKa9N
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) October 11, 2023
2013 – Miami Heat Defeats San Antonio Spurs
The 2011 meltdown possibly ignited a different beast in James, and he won his fourth MVP award in 2013. James led Miami to a famous come-from-behind victory in Game 6 of the finals. He went on to clinch the second NBA Championship of his career and averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in the championship round, earning his second straight finals MVP award.
2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers Defeat Golden State Warriors
James returned to Cleveland in 2015 with the hopes of ending the city’s championship drought. He helped the Cavaliers reach the Finals in his first season, but they lost to the Warriors despite James averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in that series.
James led the Cavaliers to another Eastern Championship the following season and produced the best playoff performance of his career. Cleveland fell behind 3-1 to begin the NBA Finals series. However, James came clutch in the following three games, scoring back-to-back 41 points in Games 5 and 6 and a triple-double in Game 7 to win Cleveland’s first professional sports title in 52 years.
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2020 – Los Angeles Lakers Defeat Miami Heat
James won his fourth NBA Championship with the Lakers during the COVID-19-hit 2020 season. He led the Lakers to the top seed in the West and convincingly advanced to the Finals with just three losses.
The Lakers had a hot 2-0 start in the Finals as James continued to perform at his best as a 35-year-old. He had his best game of the series in Game 5, where he posted 40 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. While the Lakers lost that game by three points, they won the title in the following game, and James picked up his fourth finals MVP award after averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game during the series.
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