LeBron James' Finals record in 2023: How many NBA Finals has he been to and where does he rank among other legends?
LeBron James' NBA career has been great in all aspects. His postseason success has contributed majorly towards him receiving recognition as one of the best players of all time. The league's record-leading scorer has had memorable postseason runs.
Until 2021, James was undefeated in the first round of the playoffs. His most successful stretch in the knockout stages came during the 2010s. The LA Lakers superstar played for the Miami Heat between 2010 and 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2014-2018 before joining the LA Lakers, with whom he has spent the last four years.
LeBron James has made 10 finals appearances in his career. Eight of those came in consecutive years between 2011 and 2018, four with the Heat and Cavaliers each. He missed the playoffs in 2019 in his debut year with LA but returned to the finals a year later, tallying nine finals appearances for the decade.
LeBron James' finals record
LeBron James, surprisingly to many, has a losing record in the NBA Finals, going 4-6 across his 10 appearances. Apart from the 2011 and 2014 finals, James has been on the less favored teams during his losses. LeBron has a 22-33 record in the finals, the worst for any player since 1962.
However, James has remained consistent with his performances on the grandest stage. He has averaged 28.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, shooting 48.4% from the field. He is tied with Jerry West for most appearances (games) in the finals and is tied third in highest PPG for players, with at least 20 outings in a finals setting.
Here is a look at all 10 NBA Finals for LeBron James. 👑👑
https://t.co/0LRv3JYhvT
Where does LeBron James rank among legends regarding finals appearances and record
LeBron James is ranked among the all-time greats and mentioned in the same breath as legends like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson, to name a few.
While he tops the chart as the league's record scorer, James' finals appearances and winning percentage see him rank a little lower compared to some of these greats.
In terms of finals appearances, James ranks third all-time with 10, tied with Abdul-Jabbar. Russell ranks first with 12 finals series. Johnson made nine appearances, while Kobe and Jordan made six apiece. James has gone 4-of-10 in the finals, Russell was 11-1, Jordan was 6-0, Kareem had a 6-10 record, and Kobe was 5-2.
LeBron James joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA History to win 4+ Finals MVPs and 4+ regular-season MVPs. https://t.co/OKmx4kVFiE
All of these legends have played in different eras. The competition, style of play and challenges were different for each superstar. James may not have held the best of records in the finals, but his performances and efforts are right up there at par with these legends.