LeBron James simply dominating the league is well documented in the NBA history books. He made eight straight Finals appearances, a feat only four other men have accomplished.

On the way to this impressive achievement, James has left a path of bodily destruction in his wake. A group of  guys who've had their entire careers thrown out of whack.

James essentially acted like a wrecking ball in the Eastern Conference. His actions caused trade demands, weakened legacies, and even indirectly helped a franchise win a championship.

He even forced a grown billionaire to write a poorly worded message in Comic Sans.

Here are players whose careers took a sharp turn thanks to James’ conference mastery.

Paul George

The newest Los Angeles Clipper and LeBron have a long history of playoff battles, and the record is extremely one sided.

Remember kids, Playoff-P was a branded nickname, not something earned, and LeBron proved it.

The first time George and James encountered each other in the postseason was the 2011-12 season. PG-13 had not yet made a name for himself, as it was only his second year in the league. He was mostly helpless as LBJ bulldozed through the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs, sending the team packing in six games.

The two would meet again in next season’s playoffs.  George was older, wiser, and an overall better basketball player.

And yet, LeBron James gave zero poops about any of that.

This time, George pushed LeBron to the limit, but the Pacers fell yet again, losing in 7 games to the Heat. To add salt to the wound, James went on to win the championship, and be crowned Finals MVP.

Next year was the same story. The King triumphed over George in the Conference Finals, knocking the Pacers out for three years straight.

After a brief two year gap, George would encounter LBJ again, this time with the King in a Cleveland jersey. New team, same old story. A first round sweep marked the last time George would appear in a Pacers jersey in the postseason.

Sick of getting knocked around by LeBron, PG-13 demanded a trade. The Pacers obliged, and he was sent to Oklahoma City, a whole conference away.

In an interesting twist, the two would be re-united, in the same building, no less. It’s certainly possible that George gets another crack at redemption before long…

RECAP: Four playoff losses resulting in Trade Demand
2011-12: lose to LBJ in Conference Semis
2012-13: Lose to, LBJ in Conference Finals
2013-14:Lose to LBJ in Conference Finals
2016-17: Lose to LBJ in First round

DeMar DeRozan

Before the Raptors won the title in 2019, LeBron James acted as a human roadblock to the franchise’s playoff success.

Year after year, the Raptors would have a promising regular season, and James would swoop in and crush their hopes and dreams. Unfortunately for DeMar DeRozan, he would witness all of these soul-deflating losses first hand.

DeRozan would first encounter LeBron in the playoffs in 2015-16. The Raptors had finished the season 56-26, second in the Eastern Conference. But they would have no shot against the powerhouse Cavaliers.

The history books show that the Raptors won two games, losing the series in six. But a quick look at the boxscore reveals the series was probably a little closer than it should’ve been.

The point margin in Cavs wins? 31, 19, 38, and 26.

For the Raptors? 15 and 6.

So DeRozan was forced to endure some rough blowouts. What made it worse is that technically, this would be his most successful series against a LeBron led team.

He would encounter LeBron in the postseason the next season, and the one after aw well. Both times, Toronto was swept, bringing DeRozan’s postseason record against the King to 2-12.

The Raptors front office knew something had to change. They swapped their homegrown star to Texas, in return for a guy who had some history stopping LeBron.

Toronto would end up winning the chip thanks to Leonard’s heroics, with DeRozan watching from his couch in San Antonio.

Truly a heartbreaking story for one of the nicer guys in the league. Due to LeBron, then the Raptors winning the title the very next season after the franchise dumped him, he’ll forever be known as THAT GUY.

RECAP: Three Playoff Losses resulting in trade
2015-16: Lose to LBJ in Conference Finals
2016-17: Lose to LBJ in Semis
2017-18: Lose to LBJ in Semis

Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins was born and raised in Toronto, which apparently puts a target on your back already if you’re going up against LeBron James.

He hates Canadians, I guess?

Anyway…

When Wiggins declared for the NBA draft in 2014, James had just returned to Cleveland after his South Beach stint. And James was not ready to work with an unproven pick, first overall or not.

Wiggins would never suit up alongside James. He was swapped to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love, giving Cleveland its third star and Minnesota a promising rookie.

In the five years since the trade, Wiggins and the Wolves have made the playoffs once. IT resulted in a first round exit.

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, made four Finals appearances, winning one of them.

So what happens if LeBron and the Cavs decided to roll the dice with Wiggins instead of making the Love trade? We’ll never really know, but you can bet Wiggins would have a few more playoff appearances under his belt, and a better looking resume.

RECAP: Trade influenced by LeBron that lands Wiggins in NBA dead zone (Minnesota)
2014-15: No Playoffs
2015-16: No Playoffs
2016-17: No Playoffs
2017-18: First Round Exit
2018-19: No Playoffs

Gilbert Arenas

Agent Zero was one of the most dominant point guards of the early 2000s. He was a three time All-Star, as well as a three time member of the All-NBA teams.

But in his 11 year career, Arenas had a total of one playoff series win. Just one, out of six series he played in. And LeBron James is the main reason why.

For three straight years, the Wizards ran in to the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. And for three straight years, from 2006-2008, James put on a clinic en route to sending the Wizards home.

LeBron James never averaged less than 27 PPG against the Wizards in a series, and Agent Zero’s team never had an answer.

Fair to say, Gilbert was an agent for sure when facing LeBron, an agent zero good things, ammirite?!

To be fair to Arenas, he never got a chance to play in the 07-07 playoffs. But the loss was still demoralizing, ensuring a core of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Arenas would never see playoff success.

Arenas would go on to play for the Magic and the Grizzlies, but by then, his glory days were over. Thanks to LeBron, one of the top talents in the Eastern Conference would never sniff an extended playoff run, much less a Finals appearance.

RECAP: Three First Round Losses, weakened legacy
2005-06: First Round Loss
2006-07: First Round Loss
2007-08: First Round Loss

The crazy thing is, these are only a few of the men who had their entire careers changed thanks to the play of LeBron James.

If you look at coaches who have been fired, GM’s who have lost their jobs, and entire franchises forced to change course, James’ trail of destruction stretches far and wide.

Who knows what kind of damage he can do with the last few years of his excellent career?