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LeBron James is immersed in of one of the most tumultuous times of his career.
His first year with the Los Angeles Lakers is not exactly going according to plan. Not only have the Lakers been unable to add another star to put alongside James, but it doesn't even look like Los Angeles is going to make the playoffs.
Sitting at 30-36 with 16 games remaining, the Lakers find themselves seven games back in the loss column of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Judging from the way they have been playing lately, there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe they can create a miraculous turnaround.
As a result, there has been a lot of talk about how much of a hit James' legacy will take if and when the Lakers end up missing the postseason, but instead of taking the cliche route and discussing that, let's talk about where LeBron's legacy was bigger.
Was it bigger during his days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, or was it more significant with the Miami Heat?
Let's start at the beginning.
James was originally drafted by the Cavaliers and spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland, making one NBA Finals appearance in 2007. Other than that, his first go-around with the Cavs was a whole lot of nothing.
LeBron James simply could not get past the Boston Celtics, and, in order to rectify this problem, he famously (infamously?) took his talents to South Beach.
When James reached Miami to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the goal was clear: Win as many championships as possible.
While the “not five, not six, not seven” proclamation did not exactly come to pass, James did win a pair of titles with the Heat and made four NBA Finals in a row, sandwiching wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs between losses to the Dallas Mavericks and the Spurs in a 2014 rematch which sent LeBron back to Cleveland.
But before we jump into his Cavs return, let's talk about his run with the Heat for a second.
It was only four years, so it's not as though he was there for an extended period of time. However, LeBron truly stamped his name among the all-time greats during that four-year stint: He won back-to-back titles and was no longer the king without a ring.
Had James not headed to Miami, who knows what would have happened? What if he would have stayed in Cleveland? Chances are he wasn't winning any titles there the first time around, since the pieces simply weren't in place and the Cavs were not exactly a prime free-agent destination.
Based on that, you have to say that James established his legacy with the Heat. The first seven years with the Cavaliers were chock-full of amazing statistics, but that means nothing without championships when you are chasing Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the rest of the greats.
But that's not the question. The question isn't whether LeBron established his legacy. It's where was his legacy bigger?
That brings us to his prodigal return to Cleveland.
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James headed back to the Cavaliers during the summer of 2014 after it was blatantly obvious that the Heat's run was over. Miami had just been railroaded in five games by a determined San Antonio team and did not even look competitive in the series.
With Wade aging and Bosh struggling, it became apparent that trekking back to Cleveland to play with Kyrie Irving was the best move for LeBron.
Of course, it wasn't just Irving who James would be joining. The Cavs had drafted Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick that June, and with Minnesota Timberwolves big man Kevin Love available for trade, pretty much everyone and their goldfish knew that the Cavaliers would be trading Wiggins for Love.
That is indeed what happened, giving Cleveland its own big three.
Much like his time in Miami, James' second stint with the Cavs lasted four years, and he made the Finals in each of those four seasons. But in 2016, something special happened: LeBron James took down a 73-win Golden State Warriors team, giving him his critical third title and further elevating him in the pantheon of all-time greats.
An emotional James sobbed upon winning the championship that season. He had finally delivered on his promise of bringing a title to Cleveland.
Not only did LeBron tie Bird in rings, but he won a championship with the team that drafted him.
That title spoke volumes and seemed infinitely more significant than the two rings he won in South Beach.
Had the championship been in Miami or Houston or Chicago or even Los Angeles, it simply would not have meant as much. It was the fact that LeBron James won it in Cleveland that made it so special.
Think about it: Do you imagine James more as a member of the Heat or as a member of the Cavaliers?
He spent 11 years in Cleveland and just four in Miami, so the answer should be easy.
James may have established his legacy in South Beach, but he forged his legend in Believeland.
