LeBron James has been marked as the best player in the 21st century for quite some time. His 4 MVP awards, along with his 3 NBA Championships and 3 Finals MVP trophies to add to his hardware collection, has labeled him the best in his generation. 

James was the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Averaging 24.5 points and 7 rebounds in his first 7 years with the Cavaliers, James looked like he was going to turn out and become a generational type talent for years to come. During this time, he led the Cavaliers to an NBA Finals appearance but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

2 years later, LeBron James, also known as The King, announced that he would be leaving Cleveland to pursue NBA Championship aspirations in Miami, teaming up with players such as Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

In his first year with the Heat, he led them to the 2011 NBA finals, only to lose to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

Although Miami had a great comeback season, they finished the top of the Eastern Conference and ended up winning LeBron’s first championship against the Thunder. James had won his first finals MVP.

The following season panned out like the first one, being atop the East and winning his second championship and finals MVP straight.

However, they weren’t able to make it three in a row as the Spurs had their number and stole a championship away from the Heat.

Following that season, LeBron was a free agent and he decided to make his return home (back to Cleveland, Ohio) to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. 

James made an instant impact on the Cavs in his return. Before he arrived, they had the first pick in the NBA draft, taking Andrew Wiggins 1st overall and trading him for all-star big Kevin Love. The Cavs went from the worst team to the best team in the East in just one season. LeBron and Kyrie led the Cavaliers to the first trip to the NBA finals in franchise history. But with the injuries to Irving and Love, the Cavs lost in 6 to the Golden State Warriors.

The following season, James was determined to bring home a championship trophy to Cleveland and did just that. He knocked off the Warriors by coming back from a 3-1 deficit, the first 3-1 come back in the playoffs in NBA history. LeBron won his 3rd championship and finals MVP. 

The next two seasons did not go as planned; he lost twice in the finals to Kevin Durant and the Warriors. 

After losing two straight, James felt the need for a change in his career and decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers, the biggest move of the 2017 free agency period.

The Lakers had shown the ability to win LeBron his 4th championship. Adding Anthony Davis and veteran players such as Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and Rajon Rondo, the Lakers had everything they needed to bring another championship to LA.