Back in 2010, LeBron James emerged as the sporting world's ultimate supervillain after he decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to form an unprecedented Big 3 with the Miami Heat. This is exactly why a lot of folks were happy to see them lose in the NBA Finals in LeBron's first year with the team.

After winning 58 games in their first season together as the Big 3, LeBron and Co. blew through the East in the Playoffs. They took down the Sixers, the Celtics, and finally, the league-best Chicago Bulls, who were led by that season's MVP in Derrick Rose, in the Eastern Conference Finals. All three series ended 4-1 in favor of the Heat.

Then came the Finals. Miami was considered the favorite over Dirk Nowitzki and his Mavs. Unfortunately for the Heat, Dallas ended their championship dreams in what turned out to be an epic six-game Finals series.

Now more than a decade later, it is clear that that bitter loss still stings for LeBron. In a recent episode of HBO's The Shop: Uninterrupted, James revealed the harsh reality behind that unforgettable moment in his career. According to LeBron, the reason why they lost that series was because he was in a different place mentally:

“My first year in Miami I was down here I was literally like, I wanted to prove everybody wrong,” LeBron said. “And I like literally lost myself in the moment. I lost myself. And I got all the way to the championship that year and lost. Afterwards I was like we lost because I wasn't even there.”

James isn't making excuses here. All he's saying is that his mind wasn't right for pretty much that entire season. He was too concerned with all the noise that he ended up losing himself in the moment. As a matter of fact, when asked if he takes the whole blame for all of that, LeBron simply said, “Yeah.”

LeBron learned from that first year and it didn't take long before he was able to win the first championship of his career. James led Miami to back-to-back title wins in the next two years, solidifying his stature as an icon for the franchise. It was a hard lesson to learn for The King, but ultimately, it was what led him to glory.