When he turns 39 on Saturday, LeBron James should throw a toast both to celebrate his birthday and for experiencing yet another season filled with basketball excellence.
The Lakers have plenty of concerns about the team’s consistency this season. They don’t have as many questions about James, though.
Despite experiencing the occasional injury or off night, James has spent his 21st NBA season mostly pushing back against Father Time. He has averaged 25.4 points on 53.9% shooting along with 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists, numbers that are either slightly above or below his career averages in points (27.2), shooting percentage (50.5%), rebounds (7.5) and assists (7.3). He also appears on pace to set a career-high in 3-point shooting (41.3%).
Not bad for a player that already has cemented a Hall-of-Fame resume that includes four NBA championships and four Finals MVPs in 10 Finals appearances with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-2014) and Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present). Below is a look at all the memorable and notable milestones of James’ accomplished career.
The 10 best LeBron James NBA Finals games
- Cavs’ Game 6 win over Golden State Warriors of 2016 NBA Finals – After finishing with 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks to force a Game 7, LeBron James famously observed some red flags about the Warriors’ mental and physical toll.
2. Cavs’ Game 7 win over Golden State of 2016 NBA Finals – Despite his low clip (9-of-24), James posted a triple-double in points (27), rebounds (11), and assists (11), along with three blocks and two steals. James’ most memorable play was his chase-down block on Warriors forward Andre Iguodala with the game tied at 89 with 1:50 left.
3. Cavs’ Game 1 loss to Golden State in 2018 NBA Finals – With a postseason career-high 51-points, James became just the fifth player in NBA history to score 50 points in a Finals game. The other members: Elgin Baylor (61), Michael Jordan (55), Rick Barry (55) and Jerry West (53).
4. Cavs’ Game 5 win over Golden State in 2016 NBA Finals – After hearing Klay Thompson poke fun that James “just got his feelings hurt” from Draymond Green’s trash talk in Game 4, James responded with 41 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks. That marked the first of three games that James helped deny the Warriors a back-to-back NBA title.
5. Heat’s Game 7 win over San Antonio in 2013 NBA Finals – James led Miami to its second consecutive NBA championship with a game-high 37 points while shooting well from the field (12-of-23), from 3 (5-of-10) and from the free-throw line (8-of-8). James also made a pull-up jumper and a pair of foul shots in the final minute to secure the win.
6. Lakers’ Game 5 loss to Miami in 2020 NBA Finals – While wearing the “Black Mamba” uniform in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James led the Lakers with 40 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Though Danny Green missed a potential game-winning 3, James deserves credit for making the right basketball play by passing him the ball for an open look.
7. Cavs’ Game 1 loss to Golden State in 2015 NBA Finals – While the Cavs nursed an injured Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, James recorded a previous playoff-career best 44 points on 18-of-38 shooting along with eight rebounds and six assists. But the Warriors prevailed in overtime, while Cleveland missed all eight shot attempts in extra regulation.
8. Cavs’ Game 2 win over Golden State in 2015 NBA Finals – James helped the Cavs tie the series at 1-1 with an overtime win by logging 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in 50 minutes. James sat for only 52 seconds in the first half before receiving two short breaks in the third quarter.
9. Cavs’ Game 5 loss to Golden State in 2017 NBA Finals – Though the game ended with the Warriors winning their second NBA title in three years and their first with Kevin Durant, James gave a valiant effort with 41 points on 19-of-30 shooting along with 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.
10. Heat’s Game 2 win over San Antonio in 2014 NBA Finals – After enduring cramps and stifling temperatures in the Spurs’ arena during a Game 1 loss, James responded in a Game 2 win with 35 points, 10 rebounds and stellar defense.
Five times LeBron James carried his team
Finals career-high 51 points vs. Golden State in Game 1 2018 – LeBron James could have ensured the Cavs a Game 1 upset if only George Hill made his second free throw and J.R. Smith either made a putback or called timeout after the rebound. Instead, the Warriors regrouped in overtime.
Regular-season career-high 61-point game vs. Charlotte (March 3, 2014) – Heat coach Erik Spoelstra keeps a copy of this box score because it captured the rare time James looked to score instead of involving everyone else. The reason: James saw the Hornets worried more about limiting the Heat’s ball movement than with containing him.
48 points vs. Detroit in Game 5 of 2007 Eastern Conference Finals – James gave Cleveland a 3-2 series lead with 48 points while shooting efficiently from the field (18-of-33) and from the free-throw line (10-of-14) along with nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. James scored 25 consecutive points from 2:16 left in the fourth quarter through two overtimes.
49 points vs. Orlando in 2009 Eastern Conference Finals – The Magic took Game 1, despite James posting 49 points on 20-of-30 shooting, eight assists, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Cavs guards Mo Williams and Delonte West missed two jumpers in the final seconds, while the team outside of James shot a combined 23-of-58 (39.6%).
Regular-season 57 points vs. Washington (Nov. 3, 2017) – After former Wizards guard John Wall said in an ESPN interview that the Cavs wanted to avoid Washington in the 2006 playoffs, James responded with 57 points on 23-of-34 shooting along with 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. James then said afterwards, “This is the best I’m feeling in my career.”
Five times LeBron James’ teammates shared the spotlight
Kyrie Irving makes key shot to secure Game 7 of 2016 NBA Finals vs. Golden State – Every Cavs teammate, including LeBron James, cleared the way for Irving to go one-on-one against Stephen Curry before drilling a 3 to give Cleveland a 92-89 lead with 53 seconds left.
Ray Allen makes a game-tying 3 to salvage Heat’s title hopes in Game 6 of 2013 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio –James assumed a large role in Miami’s late-game comeback with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, including the go-ahead basket with 1:43 remaining in overtime. Following James’ 3 that cut the Spurs’ lead to 94-92 with 20 seconds left in regulation, Allen then made a dramatic corner 3 with five seconds left to tie the game and eventually force overtime.
Irving complemented James well in Cavs’ Game 5 win over Golden State in 2016 NBA Finals – Not only did James and Irving deny the Warriors’ hopes to win an NBA title after nursing a 3-1 series lead. In Game 5, James (41 points) and Irving (41) became the first pair of teammates to have a 40-point plus performance in the same Finals game.
James dished out a career-high 19 assists in two different games – In the first game after the Cavs dealt six players and acquired four new ones leading into the trade deadline, James set a career-high in assists against Atlanta (Feb. 8, 2018). James matched his career-high in assists two years later with the Lakers even without Anthony Davis, but the Magic won after James missed a potential game-tying 3 with three seconds left.
Postseason career high 16 assists vs. Portland (August 18, 2020) – James set up Davis (28 points) and Kyle Kuzma (14), but that couldn’t overcome Damian Lillard making more 3s (6-of-13) than the entire Lakers team (5-of-32) in a Game 1 first-round loss. The Lakers won the next four games with James ensuring a balanced attack.
Six best LeBron James triple doubles
Cavs’ Game 7 win over Golden State in 2016 NBA Finals – With 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, LeBron James led Cleveland to its first NBA title in franchise history while becoming the first team in Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Cavs’ Game 2 win over Golden State in 2015 NBA Finals – James said it would be a disservice to his team if he played more than 40-42 minutes per game. After playing in 50 minutes and barely resting in Game 2, James actually proved he is performing a needed service by staying on the floor.
Cavs’ regular-season double overtime win over Boston (Feb. 15, 2006) – James’ spoiled Paul Pierce’s 50-point performance with 43 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Cavs’ regular-season win over Indiana Pacers (April 2, 2017) – Cleveland won by five points, while James and Paul George had an epic showdown. While George topped James in points (43-41), James eclipsed George in rebounds (14-9) and assists (11-9).
Cavs’ regular-season loss to Philadelphia (April 6, 2018) – James recorded his highest point total (44) in any triple double performance (along with 11 assists and 11 rebounds). Yet, former Sixers forward Ben Simmons mitigated James’ production with his own triple double (27 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists).
Cavs’ regular-season loss to Denver (Feb. 18, 2010) – Though the Nuggets prevailed in a two-point win, James outperformed Carmelo Anthony in an epic matchup between close friends in the same 2003 NBA Draft class. James surpassed Anthony in points (43, 40), rebounds (13-6) and assists (15-7).
Six records LeBron James holds (that may or may not be broken)
All-time scoring record – After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for nearly 39 years, LeBron James may hold onto that milestone even longer (39,363 points and counting).
Top five in all-time scoring and all-time assists list – It seems likely James will be the lone player to hold this distinction considering his skills. The all-time scoring and all-time assist list also mostly features players that just excelled in that respective area.
Finals MVPS with three different franchises – Future stars might mimic James’ player-movement approach. They can’t replicate turning a team instantly into championship contention without James’ skillset and team-first approach, though.
Most All-Star selections – James will soon set an NBA record for most All-Star appearances (20), ahead of even Abdul-Jabbar (19) and Bryant (18). Should anyone break that record, he will have to make an immediate impact right away and stay durable.
Most Christmas Day games – James also remains the leader for most Christmas Day games (18), a testament to his longevity with both his play and ability to attract a national audience.
100 30-point games with three different franchises – James has scored at least 30 points in 324 games with the Cavs, in 113 games with the Lakers and in 106 games with the Heat. Good luck trying to match that.
Four times LeBron James talked about politics/social justice issues
Urged voter turnout and spoke out about racial injustices during 2020 – During the NBA bubble restart, LeBron James routinely used his platform to speak out about the murder of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, police reform and the importance of voting leading into the 2020 presidential election.
Spoke out on Trayvon Martin/Eric Garner killings – James and his Heat teammates all wore a hoodie during a team photo to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager that was shot in 2012 while wearing a hooded sweatshirt. James was among the NBA stars that wore “I Can’t Breathe” T-Shirts during pre-game warmups in the 2014-15 season after a police officer choked and killed Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man.
Endorsed Hilary Clinton in 2016 Election – James campaigned for the former presidential candidate in his hometown state (Ohio) leading into the 2016 presidential election.
Criticized Donald Trump – At the beginning of training camp in 2017, James called out Trump on social media for disinviting the Warriors to the White House after Stephen Curry indicated he and the team wouldn’t attend because of his divisive rhetoric. Later that season, James and Kevin Durant condemned Trump’s divisiveness in a joint interview with Cari Champion.
Three moments LeBron James wished he had back
The Decision – LeBron James doesn’t regret leaving Cleveland for Miami as a free agent or using the one-hour special to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. But he likely wishes he didn’t announce his plans in that televised format.
Russell Westbrook trade – James and the Lakers will offer different versions on to what degree he pushed for the Westbrook trade. Regardless, the poor fit contributed to the Lakers missing the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
2011 NBA Finals performance – James received exaggerated criticism for his fourth-quarter struggles. Nonetheless, James could have played more aggressively against Dallas during his first season with Miami.
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.