The Los Angeles Lakers’ 112–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday pushed LeBron James to 1,015 career victories and into the No. 2 spot on the NBA’s all-time list. Yet the milestone didn’t overshadow a revelation that stunned fans. The 21x All-Star said his most complete season didn’t come with the Miami Heat superteam or in his current Lakers era. It came with the 2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers — a claim that hit with force in Year 23 of his career.
Speaking on the Mind the Game podcast, he delivered the answer without hesitation. “If you asked me what I feel like was my best season that I had where I felt the most complete as a basketball player — I would say 2018 [with the Cavs],” LeBron said.
"If you asked me what I feel like was my best season that I had where I felt the most complete as a basketball player — I would say 2018 [with the Cavs]."
LeBron James says Year 15 was the peak of his career 🗣
(via @mindthegamepod)pic.twitter.com/oMZd3JD0zp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 9, 2025
Then he explained the dominance behind it. “I felt like I could do no wrong out there on the basketball floor offensively, defensively.” He added, “I felt no flaws in my game,” and later, “I felt like every time I stepped out on the floor, I really could do everything I wanted to do.” Even now, he said, he still feels that way — but 2018 was “another level.”
A season that defined his legend before the Lakers
The 2017–18 Cavaliers fought through chaos, trades, and injuries, yet LeBron James pushed them to a fourth straight NBA Finals. It was the first Cavaliers season without Kyrie Irving since 2011, ending the superteam chapter and forcing LeBron to shoulder everything. Under the arena lights, he did. He led a seven-game escape against the Pacers, swept the top-seeded Raptors, and outlasted the Celtics in another seven-game war.
The Golden State Warriors completed a sweep in the Finals, but the journey cemented LeBron’s grip on the league. It was control and command. It was the version he still calls his “most complete season,” even beyond his Heat years. LeBron opted out on June 29, 2018, and two days later signed a four-year, $153.5 million deal with the Lakers.
Now, in Year 23 with the Lakers, LeBron James' reflection only sharpens one question for fans: if his peak was in Cleveland, how much more brilliance does he still have left?
