On Monday evening, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Miami Heat in what was a wild contest, with Miami ultimately emerging with a one point victory. The game marked James' annual return to the building where he helped the Heat win two championships during his run with the team in the early 2010s, and after the game, the Lakers star took to social media to express his gratitude to the organization.

LeBron James joined the Heat in 2010, joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form one of the first real “Big Threes” in the modern NBA. Although James suffered a brutal collapse in the 2011 NBA Finals, he bounced back, winning the next two championships and Finals MVPs before departing the franchise to return to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.

Before Monday's matchup, James made some controversial comments, stating that his career would have been just as successful had he never taken his talents to South Beach, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. It's true that James had not yet won a championship when he made the decision in 2010 to join the Heat; however, it's also worth considering that had he continued to play with his less-than-All-Star counterparts in Cleveland, his personal statistics might have been even more mind-boggling than the ones he put up with the Heat.

Of course, James has since won two more championships, first with the Cavs, and then more recently with the Lakers during the 2020 Bubble season. James will hope to produce championship number five this year with Los Angeles.