Which Era of LeBron James was the Best?
It can be argued that LeBron James has had 4 Hall of Fame careers in his entire stint in the NBA. LeBron was drafted back in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has been the best player on his respected team for his whole career. Compared to other players such as Carmelo Anthony and James Harden, age was never questioned with LeBron James. As years went by, he got better. So, which years were really the best for Lebron James?
Photo Credit: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/classic-nike-lebron-james-sneaker-164759111.html
Era 1: 2003-2010 (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Stats
27.8 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, 7 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game
Accolades
NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
NBA All-Rookie First-Team (2004)
6x NBA All-Star (2005-2010)
2x NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008)
2x NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010)
4x All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
2x All-NBA Second Team (2005, 2007)
2x NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009, 2010)
NBA Scoring Champion (2008)
The only thing missing from this resume is an NBA Championship. James had one finals appearance in 2007 but fell short against the San Antonio Spurs. Statistical, this was one of LeBron's best eras in his career.
Photo Credit: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1213608-nba-playoffs-2012-lebron-james-silences-critics-powers-miami-heat-to-game-7
Era 2: 2011-2014 (Miami Heat)
Stats
26.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 1.7 SPG
Accolades
2x NBA Champion (2012, 2013)
2x NBA Finals MVP (2012-2013)
4x NBA All-Star (2011-2014)
4x All-NBA First Team (2011-2014)
3x NBA All-Defensive First Team (2011-2013)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014)
This era is known for being the peak of LeBron James’s career. He finally got the NBA Championship that he needed.
Photo Credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/sports/lebron-james-cavs-celtics.html
Era 3: 2015-2018 (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Stats
26.1 PPG, 8 APG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.4 SPG
Accolades
NBA Champion (2016)
NBA Finals MVP (2016)
4x NBA All-Star (2015-2018)
4x All-NBA First Team (2015-2018)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2018)
LeBron James brought the championship to Cleveland, which he had initially promised. James was part of the team that returned 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Photo Credit: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/report-lebron-james-could-return-friday-night-2021-04-30/
Era 4: 2019-Present (Los Angeles Lakers)
Stats
27 PPG, 8 APG, and 8 RPG
Accolades
NBA Champion (2020)
NBA Final MVP (2020)
5x NBA All-Star (2019-2023)
All-NBA First Team (2020)
All-NBA Second Team (2021)
2x All-NBA Third Team (2019, 2022
NBA Assists Leader (2020)
NBA All-Time Leading Scorer (2023)
It seems that as LeBron got older, his stats became much better. Adding another championship onto his resume in 2020 really shows the greatness of LeBron James.
Now that you have seen all the stats and accolades, which era do you think is the best for LeBron James?