LeBron James has been one of the most dominant players in NBA history and you can confirm that with the way his teams go down when he leaves them. It happened with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, who went from being a competitor in the East to a lottery team in just one season; the Miami Heat suffered a similar fate when he returned to Ohio in 2014 and the same thing happened to the Cavs when he decided to take his talents to Los Angeles to join the Lakers.
This is how impactful he’s been in the league and if you don’t believe that, there’s one graphic that shows how important the King is for any of his teams. When he’s off the court, their records just drop. Bron can do it all on the court and playing without him is a big burden for any team.
LeBron’s team records when Bron is off the court over the years
(📸 @NBATheJump) pic.twitter.com/s35sagz61K
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 25, 2021
From 2003 through 2021, LeBron’s teams have played 120 games without him and their record has been just awful. In total, they just won 41 games, losing 79 matches. The Cleveland Cavaliers played 26 games without him from 2003 through 2010, going 10-16 when the King was sidelined. With the Heat, you can say it was the best time for him; they were 9-9 from 2010 through 2014. In his return to Cleveland, the Cavs played 27 games without LeBron, winning only 4 and losing the other 23. The Lakers have played 49 games without the 4x NBA champion, winning 18 matches and losing 32.
In his first season with the purple and gold, an injury prevented him from playing the whole season and the young team struggled to keep things going without him. This campaign, with his absence and Anthony Davis’, things have gone wrong for the Lakers. They’re still one of the best five teams in the Western Conference but things can get worse if their dynamic duo stayed out for more time.
Now Davis is back and LeBron is getting closer to his return. Until then, this record is likely to keep getting worse. That shows just how important Bron is for his teams.
