How old was LeBron James when he won his first championship? Taking a closer look
LeBron James has delivered on the "Chosen 1" hype he entered with in the NBA. James didn't just dominate regular season basketball but also turned out to be one of the most successful playoff performers of all time. "King James" has won four championships in 10 finals appearances in 20 seasons.
James turned the Cleveland Cavaliers from a lottery team to a finals contender in no time. Despite having a mediocre roster around him. the four-time MVP single-handedly led them to the NBA finals in 2007, aged 22.
The team hit its ceiling at that stage, losing 4-0 to the experienced San Antonio Spurs in the finals. With other teams like the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic strengthening their rosters, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't have much outside of LeBron James to make another finals appearance.
"This is gonna be your league."
With LeBron James passing Tim Duncan for No. 2 in all-time playoff wins on Saturday, we look back at the moment the two superstars shared after the 2007 NBA Finals. https://t.co/zYMurnDBrF
Their repeated failures to surround him with a contending roster forced him to join forces with draft mates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami in 2012. James had spent seven years in the league and had not won a championship by then.
He could've had his shot to win a championship aged 26, but the Heat suffered one of the most disappointing finals losses of all time when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in 2011.
From there on, James embarked on his journey as one of the greatest playoff performers. He led the Heat to the finals for a second consecutive year and won the finals against the OKC Thunder.
LeBron James was 27 when he won his first NBA championship and finals MVP. He had also won three MVP awards by then.
June 21, 2012: The Heat beat the Thunder in G5 of the NBA Finals giving LeBron James his first NBA Championship. https://t.co/xW7TXT7fOM
LeBron James is still in contention to win championships aged 38
Not many saw LeBron James playing at a high level and competing for championships in year 20. The LA Lakers star again proved his doubters wrong when he led the team to the conference finals in the 2023 playoffs. The Lakers are down 3-0 to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.
However, they started the series with a legitimate shot at causing an upset. LA squandered the shot at closing a couple of close games and now faces an uphill task to become the first team to overturn a 3-0 deficit.
LeBron James has scripted historic comebacks in the past. However, he's looked off-color in these playoffs after playing the entire postseason on a foot injury that will likely need surgery in the offseason.
He averaged 28.9 points per contest in the regular season when 100% healthy, so it isn't ideal to rule out that he still can dominate a game. The Lakers made the conference finals with a hobbled LeBron, so in all likelihood, the team's ceiling could've been higher if he wasn't dealing with a torn tendon in his right foot.