Ranking the four best role players in each of LeBron James' title-winning seasons in the NBA
LeBron James has won four NBA championships, but he didn't accomplish those alone, of course.
His talent has fueled him to become one of the game's greats -- a 17-time NBA All-Star who has appeared in 10 NBA Finals, including eight straight appearances with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The difference in those championship years, came in how different players stepped up with tremendous contributions.
James has benefited. The four rings provide proof.
In each title run, the pivotal role player was different; each time, that role player had a different responsibility. James needed these teammates. The listed role players might not show up prominently in the box score, yet on the path to a championship, no superstar does it alone.
Here's a ranking of James' championship teammates who aided James.
10 Finals appearances for James
It must be hard to be the King. Many teammates have smiled in victory, yet others have frowned in defeat paying alongside James. Ten NBA Finals visits gives one a sense of belonging in the Finals, and whether it was up to him or management as to who was brought in to fill rosters over the years, help was acquired, and deep playoff runs ensued.
NBA CHAMPIONS: The Los Angeles Lakers ended their decade-long championship drought and burst the NBA bubble with a championship win.
LeBron James is now the first player in history to be named NBA Finals MVP with three different teams.
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No. 4: Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016
Mo Williams played four years with Cleveland. He could create off the dribble and pull up from midrange or behind the arc in spurts. During the 2016 season, when Cleveland won its first NBA title in 52 years of existence, Williams scored just 8.2 points per game, yet those points seemed to come in big spots.
"The Hitman" was true to his nickname in defeating the Golden State Warriors, who went 73-9 in the regular season. Williams was always a steady locker room presence alongside James.
After winning the title, Williams retired. He was a career 13.2 ppg scorer.
No. 3: Shane Battier, Miami Heat, 2012 and 2013
How many times during the Heat's NBA back-to-back title runs do you remember Shane Battier, a two-time All-Defensive Team member, either hitting the big 3-pointer or taking a timely charge that gave the crowd a lightning bolt to get out of their seats?
The former Duke Blue Devil was a perfect mix of garbageman versatility, guarding whomever he could and truly coming up big. Some may have called Battier a dirty player, but James and his teammates surely loved to play with him. Battier threw his body out there and asked it to perform whenever the stage was the brightest as James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade got all the shine.
Over 14 seasons, Battier averaged 8.6 points per game, but hypothetically scored higher with Miami fans and teammates every night for his dedication to doing the mundane-but-necessary work, and he became a two-time NBA champ because of those efforts.
No. 2: Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat, 2012 and 2013
Udonis Haslem is a rare pro athlete. He is the perfect compliment to any James-led team and productive and wily enough to add his talent and wisdom to the heat through 19 seasons.
The power forward/center averaged 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 862 NBA games. He was the guy who made the big deflection, blocked a shot or picked up a loose ball leading to the pass before the pass that led to a bucket from James, Bosh or Wade.
There aren't many greater teammates than Haslem. The three-time NBA champion (also winning in 2006 with Miami), who grew up in Miami and was undrafted out of the University of Florida, is a strong candidate to have his number retired by the franchise. He will be honored for not only being a clutch, relentless player, but by also being an unofficial coach in championship runs.
#Sixers small forward @DGreen_14 and center @DwightHoward received the #NBA championship rings they won last season with the #LosAngelesLakers. https://t.co/wuxlCZZGM4
No. 1 Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers, 2020
Dwight Howard is an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. He will have a strong case to eventually enter the Naismith Hall of Fame. And he is the center LeBron James has coveted his entire career.
Howard loves playing for the Los Angeles Lakers so much that he is now back for a third stint with the franchise and his second with James. During the Lakers' bubble title run in 2020, Howard was the man in the middle of the floor who helped the Lakers come together to claim the franchise's 17th NBA championship. James was the catalyst, while Howard was the enforcer.
Howard's averages of 16 points and 12 rebounds per game throughout his career hold up. Always an impressive physical presence, but now at 35 years old, Howard is still conditioned as if he were a young man, a testimony to his obsession with keeping a physical standard.
Howard helped James win one title, so will this year produce another?