LeBron James' rings and his journey to achieve them: Ranking his 4 NBA championships in order of toughness
LeBron James' iconic career has resulted in four NBA championships and four Finals MVP awards. The all-time leader in postseason scoring has won the championship in each of his three destinations.
James won his first championship as a member of the Miami Heat, while winning one each with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Lakers. He has made 10 NBA Finals appearances and trails only Hall of Famer Jerry West in Finals scoring.
Let's take a look at how the future Hall of Famer's titles rank in ascending order of difficulty.
#1 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers
As a member of the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James struggled in the first two games against the Golden State Warriors, who set a record by winning 73 games in the regular season. He averaged just 21.0 points while shooting 42.1% from the field while the Cavaliers lost both games.
While LeBron bounced back over the next two games at home, averaging 28.5 points per game and shooting 53.2%, Cleveland was only able to split. With the team being down three games to one, James took his game to another level.
Over the final three games, the four-time NBA MVP averaged 36.3 points per game, while shooting 50.6% from the field. Additionally, he shot 42.1% from 3-point range after shooting just 31.3% over the first four games en route to his third championship.
For the series, James averaged 29.7 points per game with 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. He shot 49.4% from the field, including 37.1% from 3-point range.
Watch LeBron James' 2015-16 NBA Finals highlights below:
#2 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers
During the 2019-20 NBA season, the LA Lakers, and the entire NBA, faced challenges that nobody could have foreseen. In January, the organization was forced to process the tragic passing of franchise icon Kobe Bryant.
Two months later, business operations shut down altogether as the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season resumed, players were in an isolated bubble in Orlando without their families.
The Lakers breezed through the Western Conference, winning each playoff series in five games. They didn't face much of a threat from the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals either, as they never trailed, winning the series in six games.
James played great, scoring at least 25 points and shooting at least 50% in each game. Overall, he averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 59.1% from the field, including 41.7% from 3-point range. It may have been his best individual performance of any of his four title runs.
Watch LeBron James' 2019-20 NBA Finals highlights below:
#3 2012-13 Miami Heat
The 2012-13 Miami Heat entered the season as the NBA's defending champion. Facing the San Antonio Spurs as a heavy favorite, LeBron got off to a slow start in the series. He scored just 16.7 points per game shooting 38.9% from the field, including 23.1% from 3-point range, as Miami went down two games to one.
However, he flipped the switch over the next four games, as he averaged 31.8 points per game and shot 47.9% from the field, including 42.9% from 3-point range. He averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game for the series while shooting 44.7% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range.
Watch LeBron James' 2012-13 NBA Finals highlights below:
#4 2011-12 Miami Heat
LeBron's first championship came the season prior as a member of the Miami Heat. Coming off a tough loss to the Dallas Mavericks, 2011-12 may have been the most pressure that James faced en route to the title.
However, the young OKC Thunder team may also have been his easiest opponent. While the team was very talented, they lacked experience. After losing the first game, Miami took control and won the next four.
James averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field.
Watch LeBron James' 2011-12 NBA Finals highlights below: