LeBron James #23 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on Jin Oakland, California. He would make his grand return to Cleveland in June 2014 in a first-person essay on Sports Illustrated and his promise of delivering the franchise's first-ever title bore fruit in 2016-arguably the greatest NBA Finals series played. ![]() On July 8, 2010, a free agent James announced in an ESPN special dubbed "The Decision" that he was taking his talents to South Beach and joining the Miami Heat which drew him nuclear levels of heat from the fans.ĭubbed a traitor by Cavaliers fans, James was initially hesitant to take on the heel role as a member of the "Heatles."īut him embracing the negativity to lead them to two titles, James began to curry favor with fans again. His fourth season saw an NBA Finals berth, but were severely outmatched against the San Antonio Spurs and it would be the first time James was swept in the playoffs which brought up questions of whether he really was the "Chosen One". In an almost poetic moment ahead of the 2003 NBA draft, his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers selected him first overall and from that point on, the pressure to perform only continued to mount.ĭisappointment would hang like a dark cloud over James' first seven NBA seasons with playoff exits against the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, but the summer of 2010 would forever be remembered in infamy – at least for the most ardent detractors of James. No other player in the history of the NBA has been subject to the level of hype and pressure that James had early in his career.īeing enshrined as the "Chosen One" on the Februissue of Sports Illustrated, skeptics began to question whether he truly deserved the title of surpassing Michael Jordan. The Arena erupted in cheers for the celebration of James' achievement with a quick speech from "The King" while social media showered him in adulation, with many stating that he has officially claimed the title of "Greatest of All Time (GOAT)."Īs is always the case when it comes to James and his career, the highly subjective "GOAT" conversation has begun to make its rounds on the internet, but James has always proven that he, at the very least, deserves to be mentioned. Late in the third quarter, James staked his claim to NBA glory by claiming the all-time scoring record from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his patented fadeaway from the top of the key. The NBA is no stranger to big storylines gracing its long history, but none of them come close to LeBron James.
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