Including the playoffs, no one in the NBA scored more points than LeBron James in the last 10 years. He started the decade 124th on the league’s all-time scoring list. He now ranks No. 3 on the all-time scoring list and No. 2 Karl Malone and No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are well within reach.
Join us in wishing @KingJames of the @Lakers a HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY! #NBABDAY #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/s1etltFBLU
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2021
As he turns 37 today, James is just a few months removed from being named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and a year removed from being named the Associated Press’ male athlete of the decade for a record-tying fourth time. To date, he has four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 17 All-NBA selections, 17 All-Star selections, the 2003-04 Rookie of the Year award and three All-Star MVPs, too. He has left an indelible mark on three NBA franchises — the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and now, the Los Angeles Lakers — while piling up all manner of statistical milestones along the way.
There are the eight straight Finals trips, the ending of Cleveland’s championship drought and so many more moments that have made James an icon in NBA lore. Here’s a look back at some of the plays and on-court moments that marked James’ success in each of those stops.
LeBron’s first Cleveland era
When: 2003-04 to 2009-10
LeBron’s regular-season stats: 27.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.7 spg
LeBron’s playoff stats: 29.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.0 bpg (2006-10)
LeBron’s championships: Zero (lost 4-0 to Spurs in 2007 Finals)
The buzz: From winning Rookie of the Year to amassing the first two of his five career MVPs, LeBron showed glimpses of what he was capable of during his first stint with the Cavaliers. Although he’d fail to taste championship glory, his efforts to merely get the Cavs to the 2007 Finals — specifically his epic Game 5 against the Pistons in the East finals — was the stuff of legend.
LeBron’s Heat era
When: 2010-11 to 2013-14
LeBron’s regular-season stats: 26.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.7 spg
LeBron’s playoff stats: 26.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.8 spg
LeBron’s championships: Two (beat Thunder 4-1 in 2012 Finals; beat Spurs 4-3 in 2013 Finals)
The buzz: The 2010s for James started with “The Decision,” the widely criticized televised announcement of his choice to leave Cleveland for Miami. He was with the Heat for four years, went to the NBA Finals all four times with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, finally won the title in 2012 and led the way in a Game 7 win over San Antonio to go back-to-back the following year.
LeBron’s second Cleveland era
When: 2014-15 to 2017-18
LeBron’s regular-season stats: 26.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 8.0, 1.4 spg
LeBron’s playoff stats: 30.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 8.2 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.2 bpg
LeBron’s championships: One (beat Warriors 4-3 in 2016 Finals)
The buzz: James returned home in 2014, took Cleveland to four consecutive finals, then led the Cavaliers to the 2016 title and came up with one of the biggest plays of his life by pulling off a chase-down block of Golden State’s Andre Iguodala in the final seconds of Game 7 of that series.
LeBron’s Lakers era
When: 2018-19 to present
LeBron’s regular-season stats: 25.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 8.8 apg, 1.2 spg (through Dec. 29, 2021)
LeBron’s playoff stats: 26.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.3 spg
LeBron’s championships: One (beat Heat 4-2 in 2020 Finals)
The buzz: The legacy James will leave with the Lakers is still being written, but one chapter is certain: leading L.A. to a championship in 2020 during the NBA’s restart in Orlando. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic that year, James led the Lakers to the top of the heap in a season and playoffs like no other, all while collecting Finals MVP honors. That came during a prolonged season in which he passed both Michael Jordan and later, Kobe Bryant, on the all-time scoring list. He led the league in assists and finished second in Kia MVP voting, too.
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