LeBron James’ greatest moments from stunning the Clippers, Lakers NBA title and point scoring legend
LeBron James' story is one of the greatest in all of sports.
'The Chosen One' featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager and went straight from high school to the NBA as comparisons to Michael Jordan went into overdrive.
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Despite all that pressure, James still somehow manged to surpass expectations.
His 21-year legacy is littered with legendary moments, achievements and records, with few players in history having as significant an impact on the game of basketball as 'The King'.
The 39-year-old staged the biggest comeback of his 21-season NBA career in a 116-112 victory over the LA Clippers recently where he scored more points in the fourth quarter than the entire team.
Although amazing, it still has a way to go to top the greatest moments of his illustrious career.
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5. 48-point performance vs Detroit Pistons in the 2007 ECFs - including 25 straight points
James' NBA career started in 2003 when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him with the first pick of the NBA Draft.
He was pretty much elite from the get-go but it wasn't until the 2007 playoffs that he proved he could do it on the grandest stage.
Just a year after his postseason debut, a 22-year-old James had one of the best individuals performances in living memory.
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In Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals vs the Detroit Pistons, who had won the title three years earlier, James finished with 48 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
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While an incredible stat-line, what made the NBA world stand up and take notice was the fact James scored 25 straight points, and 29 of the Cavs' final 30, including the game-winning layup in double-overtime.
Players that young simply don't lead teams to the NBA Finals, and even though they were ultimately swept by the San Antonio Spurs, it was a warning sign to the rest of the league about what was to come over the next 15+ years.
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett is spotted working out with NBA legend LeBron James as he prepares for new season
4. Delivering a title for the Lakers in 2020
James made the move to Los Angeles in 2018 and the message from the outside world was loud and clear: championship or bust.
At the time, the Purple & Gold were going through a rough patch in the post Kobe Bryant years, but for a franchise synonymous with winning nothing less than a title was going to suffice.
Anthony Davis' eventual arrival from the New Orleans Pelicans added to the weight of expectation and two years after James' arrival he achieved what he set out to do.
LeBron and co. beat Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in six games in the 2020 NBA Finals after what was a shortened campaign due to COVID-19.
James won Finals MVP, averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game.
He also became the first player in NBA history to win an NBA championship and Finals MVP trophy with three different franchises.
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3. Game 6 of the 2012 ECFs vs Boston Celtics - 'The LeBron stare meme'
James won his first NBA title in 2012 as a member of the Miami Heat, vindicating 'The Decision' from two years earlier.
However, arguably his most career-defining performance came not in the Finals that year, but in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Miami's Big Three, made up of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, were coming off a devastating loss to the Mavs in the 2011 Finals and many doubted if LeBron could ever win a championship.
Down 2-3 and facing elimination to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, James went into TD Garden and put in a performance for the ages.
He finished with 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game that spawned the 'LeBron stare' meme.
The heroic performance was a springboard for back-to-back titles and will forever be remembered as one of his greatest ever games.
2. Becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer
James has always considered himself a facilitator and someone who prides himself on getting others involved and being a 'pass-first' guy.
Which is why him becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer last season was all the more remarkable.
Last season, his 20th in the league, LeBron surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 34-year scoring record.
Abdul-Jabbar scored 38,387 during his career, the last of which came in 1989.
James managed to break that record with a 38-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder and continues to extend it with every passing game.
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1. Overturning 1-3 deficit to beat Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals - 'The Block'
For all the vicious dunks, dazzling layups and flashy dimes, the lasting image of LeBron will be 'The Block' from Game 7 of the 2016 Finals - arguably the greatest defensive play of all time.
James was facing a peak Golden State Warriors team coming off a 73-9 regular season many deemed to be the greatest ever.
LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin Love found themselves in a 1-3 hole and looked dead and buried ahead of Game 5.
But James did what he has so often done in big moments and scored 41 points on the road to save the season.
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He backed that up with another 41-point effort at home in Game 6 to force a Game 7 in Oakland.
Irving hit the game-winning three-pointer but the contest will forever be remembered for LeBron's jaw-dropping block on Andre Iguodala, who was about to score a go-ahead layup with two minutes to go.
No single play better encapsulates the 6ft 9in athletic freight train that is LeBron more than that mammoth block.
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James finished with a triple-double in Game 7 as the Cavs became the first and only team to come back from a 1-3 deficit in the NBA Finals.
LeBron delivered on his promise to bring a title back to his hometown team, and that game above all others became the defining moment of his glorious career.