Ten NBA Finals.
While LeBron James' 3-6 record in the championship round going into this year's matchup with the Miami Heat is surely not what he wants, the 16-time All-Star has still appeared in more NBA Finals as a player than 27 franchises.
James has taken the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat, and his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to the league's ultimate stage. And if the Lakers win this upcoming series, he will have delivered a title with each team.
Here, theScore ranks LeBron's 10 NBA Finals squads:
10. 2006-07 Cavaliers
Regular-season record: 50-32
Net rating: 4.2 (seventh)
Finals result: San Antonio Spurs sweep
James experienced his coming of age moment in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 48 points - including 29 of the Cavs' last 30 - as the club stunned the powerhouse Detroit Pistons. Cleveland would close out the series at home in the next contest, but the Cavs were no match for the Spurs.
James shot only 35.6% in his first career NBA Finals, but he was hardly at fault. Drew Gooden was the Cavs' second-leading scorer at 12.8 points per game, while rookie Daniel Gibson was the only other player to average double-digit points during the championship series.
9. 2017-18 Cavaliers
Record: 50-32
Net rating: 1.0 (14th)
Finals result: Golden State Warriors sweep
Cleveland went through its ups and downs during the final season of James' second go-around, but the club started winning after a flurry of trade-deadline moves. However, the Cavs only managed to grab the East's fourth seed, with their 29th-ranked defense largely holding them back.
The playoffs were no walk in the park, as the team went the distance in two of its first three series. Kyrie Irving's offseason departure put more on James' plate. The superstar averaged a postseason-leading 41.9 minutes, even playing all 48 minutes during the Cavs' Game 7 Eastern Conference finals win.
James dropped a playoff career-high 51 points in Game 1 of The Finals against the Warriors, but JR Smith's costly blunder squandered his Herculean effort. Cleveland fought valiantly again in Game 3, though the squad fell short and simply couldn't match the Warriors' firepower.
8. 2016-17 Cavaliers
Record: 51-31
Net rating: 3.3 (seventh)
Finals result: Lost 4-1 to Warriors
While the 2016-17 Cavs were only one game better in the standings than the 2017-18 version of the team, the difference between the clubs was substantial. The presence of Irving alone and his 25.2 points per game was significant, and this Cavs team was at least somewhat better defensively.
In the end, however, the result was nearly the same, with Cleveland's season ending in a gentleman's sweep at the hands of the Warriors.
7. 2014-15 Cavaliers
Record: 53-29
Net rating: 4.8 (fifth)
Finals result: Lost 4-2 to Warriors
While the Cavs in LeBron's first year after returning to Cleveland won't be remembered as one of his all-time great teams, his performance during the 2015 playoffs was legendary.
With both Irving and Kevin Love suffering season-ending injuries at different points in the playoffs, James still carried the Cavs to The Finals. He finished the 20-game run with a postseason career-high 37.6 usage percentage, with Cleveland taking a 2-1 lead over the Warriors at one point through grind-it-out, isolation basketball.
Had the Warriors not adjusted by inserting Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in Game 4 of The Finals and swinging momentum, many believe LeBron would have won another ring.
6. 2013-14 Miami Heat
Record: 54-28
Net rating: 5.1 (fourth)
Finals result: Lost 4-1 to Spurs
Injuries forced Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra to shuffle through 20 different regular-season starting lineups, with Dwyane Wade missing 28 games. The Heat registered their lowest winning percentage of "The Heatles" era.
However, Miami didn't face much resistance en route to its fourth straight NBA Finals appearance, dropping only three contests through the first three rounds. During The Finals, the Heat split the first two games in San Antonio, but they could've been heading home up 2-0. The Spurs outscored Miami 36-17 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 as James missed most of the final stanza due to leg cramps.
The remainder of the series was no contest. San Antonio won Games 3 to 5 by an average of 19 points, with Kawhi Leonard locking down James to earn his first Finals MVP.
5. 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 52-19 (schedule shortened due to coronavirus pandemic)
Net rating: 5.7 (fifth)
Finals result: ?
James knows not to take his former team lightly, but these Lakers may be the best defensive squad he's played for throughout his career.
This season is only the second time he's suited up for a team that placed among the top three in defensive rating, and the Lakers have logged a playoff-leading 7.4 points differential.
James has also played with some great sidekicks over the years, but a decade from now, Anthony Davis may be remembered as the best.
4. 2010-11 Heat
Record: 58-24
Net rating: 8.2 (first)
Finals result: Lost 4-2 to Dallas Mavericks
James' monumental move to South Beach put the Heat squarely under the microscope. Miami's "Big 3" instantly became the NBA's new villains, and the pressure on the star trio intensified after a 9-8 start to the 2010-11 campaign. The Heat would recover from their early growing pains to capture the East's No. 2 seed.
Miami was an overall juggernaut, ranking in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency during the regular season. The team breezed to The Finals and appeared set for its coronation. But then with the Mavs trailing 2-1 in the championship series, Dallas changed the balance of The Finals with a heavy dose of zone defense.
The adjustment threw off Miami's offense, and most notably James, whose jump shot wasn't the best at the time. He managed only 17.8 points per game - including an average of three in the fourth quarter - during arguably the worst NBA Finals of his illustrious career.
3. 2015-16 Cavaliers
Record: 57-25
Net rating: 6.4 (fourth)
Finals result: Won 4-3 over Warriors
The King fulfilled his promise to Cleveland with an NBA Finals performance for the ages, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks while helping the Cavs overcome a 3-1 series deficit against the 73-win Warriors.
The Akron, Ohio, native took his game to another level with the club facing elimination. James exploded for 41 points in both Game 5 and 6 before recording a triple-double in Game 7 of the championship series, joining Jerry West and James Worthy as one of only three players in league history to accomplish that feat.
James' iconic chase-down block on Iguodala in the deciding affair set the stage for Irving's dagger triple over Stephen Curry with 53 seconds remaining. The Cavs held on for a 93-89 victory, earning their first Larry O'Brien Trophy while also ending Cleveland's 52-year sports championship drought. James was unanimously named Finals MVP.
2. 2011-12 Heat
Record: 46-20 (schedule shortened due to NBA lockout)
Net rating: 6.4 (fourth)
Finals result: Won 4-1 over Oklahoma City Thunder
A year after his disappointing performance in an NBA Finals loss to Dallas, and following a stiff, seven-game test from the Celtics in the East finals, LeBron was locked-in for a victory over Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's Thunder.
Mostly playing power forward, James averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on 47.2% shooting over five games. It took nine seasons, but The King secured his first ring.
1. 2012-13 Heat
Record: 66-16
Net rating: 8.6 (second)
Finals result: Won 4-3 over Spurs
The 2012-13 Heat were undoubtedly the best NBA team James has ever played on. With James, Wade, and Bosh at the peak of their powers, the Heat reeled off the second-longest winning streak in league history (27 games) in winter 2013.
New addition Ray Allen also helped the Heat off the bench, with the now Hall of Famer saving Miami's season through his clutch, overtime-forcing 3-pointer in Game 6 of The Finals against the Spurs. Two nights later, James scored 37 points in Game 7 to capture his second championship.
The 2012-13 season is the only campaign so far when James has won a title while playing on the team that posted the best regular-season record.
