How Many NBA Finals Has LeBron James Been To?
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LeBron James is one of the best basketball players of all time, and he’s been to the NBA Finals many times. But how many times has he actually been to the Finals? We break it down.
LeBron James’ NBA Finals appearances
LeBron James has been to the NBA Finals nine times in his career, winning the championship three times.
James first went to the Finals in 2006 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The following year, James led the Cavs to a game seven victory over the Spurs, but they would lose to the Boston Celtics in the Finals.
In 2009 and 2010, James again led the Cavaliers to the Finals, but they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers both years.
In 2011, James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, and the trio would go on to win back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs respectively.
After returning to Cleveland in 2014, James took his team to five straight Finals appearances from 2015 to 2019, winning championships in 2016 and 2017 against the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James’ individual NBA Finals statistics
LeBron James has been to 9 NBA Finals in his career, winning 3 of them. Below are his statistics for each NBA Finals series he has played in.
-2018 NBA Finals: 28.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 7.6 APG, 51.9 FG%, 34.0 3P%
-2017 NBA Finals: 33.6 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 10.0 APG, 56.4 FG%, 36.7 3P%
-2016 NBA Finals: 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 48.8 FG%, 33.3 3P%
-2015 NBA Finals: 35.8 PPG, 13 .3 RPG , 8 .8 APG , 52 .4 FG % , 37 .4 3P %
-2014 NBA Finals: 28 .2 PPG , 10 .1 RPG , 7 .8 APG , 49 .5 FG % , 40 .6 3P %
-2013 NBA Finals: 25 .3 PPG , 10 .9 RPG , 7 .0 APG , 54 .2 FG % , 36 .0 3P %
-2012 NBA Finals: 30 .3 PPG , 9 .7 RPG , 5 .6 APG , 47 .2 FG %
-2011 NBA Finals: 26 .” 6 PPG ,” 9 .” 7 RPG ,” 6 .” 2 APG ,” 53 .” 1 FG %
The teams LeBron James has played for in the NBA Finals
LeBron James has played in a total of ten NBA Finals series. He has played for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Miami Heat (4): 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020
Cleveland Cavaliers (3): 2007, 2015, 2016
Los Angeles Lakers (3): 2020, 2021, 2022
The teams LeBron James has faced in the NBA Finals
LeBron James has been to the NBA Finals a total of 9 times.
-2007: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs
-2011: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
-2012: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat
-2013: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
-2014: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat
-2015: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
-2016: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
-2017: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
-2018: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The players LeBron James has faced in the NBA Finals
LeBron James has been to a total of ten NBA Finals in his career, winning three of them. He has faced a variety of different players in the Finals, including some of the greatest to ever play the game. Here is a look at the players LeBron has faced in the NBA Finals.
2010: Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant was James’ biggest rival during his time with the Cavaliers, and they faced off in the Finals for the first time in 2010. James and the Cavaliers were no match for Bryant and the Lakers, who won in six games.
2011: Dallas Mavericks
In his second trip to the Finals, James finally got his first championship, defeating Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in six games.
2012: Oklahoma City Thunder
LeBron made it back-to-back championships by defeating Kevin Durant and the Thunder in five games. This was Durant’s first trip to the Finals, and he would lose again to James in 2017.
2013: San Antonio Spurs
In one of the greatest Finals series of all time, James and the Miami Heat took on Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The series went seven games, with the Spurs ultimately coming out on top. This was Duncan’s fifth championship, and James’ first loss in the Finals.
2014: San Antonio Spurs
James got his revenge on Duncan and the Spurs in 2014, defeating them in five games to win his third championship. This was Duncan’s final trip to the NBA Finals, as he would retire after next season.
2015: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry made his first trip to the Finals in 2015, but it was James who came out victorious again, winning his fourth championship (and second straight) by defeating Curry’s Warriors in six games. Curry would get his revenge against James three years later. 2017: Golden State Warriors In one of the most anticipated Finals matchups ever, James finally faced off against Curry’s Warriors team that had won two straight championships. The series went five games, with curry and Durant getting their revenge against James by winning their third championship in four years. 2018: Golden State Warriors For a fourth consecutive year, James faced off against Curry and Durant in the NBA Finals. The Warriors won again in four games, giving Durant his second straight Finals MVP award while also handing James his third straight loss in 2019: Toronto Raptors In what would be his final season with Cleveland Cavaliers before moving to Los Angeles Lakers , LeBron took his team to one last NBA Finals appearance but they were swept by eventual champions Toronto Raptors which marked Leonard’s first finals victory as well as giving Drake His First ring