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LeBron James has already guaranteed he'll be in the GOAT conversation for the rest of his life thanks to his prolonged greatness in the NBA. While some argue that James in year 21 looks just as good compared to when he was in his prime, if only one version of him played for his entire career, which would result in more championships and MVPs that could've potentially put him above Michael Jordan for good? This is where we find out who the real king is, as we set out to rank the best versions of James throughout his historic career.
4. LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers (first stint)
James had a lot on his plate as an 18-year-old “savior” playing for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, but he never backed down from the challenge. It takes a lot of talent to turn a 17-win team led by Ricky Davis to double your win total a season later, and while it did take James three years to lead the Cavaliers back to the playoffs, this version of James showed all the hype surrounding him in high school was warranted. James became one of the few players ever to lead his team in all five major stat categories, dragged a team with zero other All-Stars to the 2007 NBA Finals, and became the tenth player to win back-to-back MVP awards.
3. LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers
The current version of James continues to defy time. In his six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, this version of James is surprisingly averaging the most points he's had for a team over his entire career (27.3 PPG). Although this version was the first instance in which we saw James miss significant time due to injuries, this is where he'd become the third player in NBA history to win at least one title with three different teams and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
2. LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers (the return)
Once James accomplished his quest of winning a championship, he decided to give it a second run with his hometown team, and this time, he delivered. In his second stint playing four seasons with the Cavs, James led them to the NBA Finals each season, and along the way he led one of the most epic comebacks in the history of the league, rallying Cleveland from a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals to eventually win the series in seven games. You can even make the case that had it not been for Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors, this chapter of James' career could've yielded one or two more championships.
1. LeBron James with the Miami Heat
When James played the role of villain, he was impossible to stop. By teaming up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, James was outrageously efficient and dominated on both ends of the floor. This phase was the first time James shot 40 percent from three, won a scoring title, bagged back-to-back regular season and Finals MVPs, and of course, won the first two titles of his career.
