NBA superstar LeBron James doesn’t usually flex his championship hardware, but he made a special exception this week in his latest Instagram story post. With the start of football season, he showed his view from the couch watching the Ohio State game. What he didn’t mention was the four gleaming championship trophies just sitting on a marble mantle under the television.
LeBron was clearly more focused on the game than his trophy collection, but fans were surprised to see them out in such plain view like that. While they look identical to the actual Larry O’Brien trophy, they are almost certainly replicas, given that they are handed to championship teams, not individual players.
Still, it’s an impressive set of hardware that shows LeBron’s pride in his NBA journey and achievements. As a 21x All-Star, 4x MVP, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game on 50.6% shooting, James has a lot to be proud of, but his crowning feats are the four championships he’s won, each one with its own story.
The first one came in 2012, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was over eight years in the making for James, who was 27 years old in just his second season with the Miami Heat. After failing the first attempt with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his very legacy was at stake in this playoff run, but he answered the call with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists to beat Kevin Durant and the Thunder in five games.
That first championship gave LeBron the validation he had long been searching for and marked a major turning point in his career. Riding that momentum, he led the Heat to an even better campaign in 2012-13. He not only won the MVP as the Heat went 66-16, but he was also elite in the playoffs to capture his second straight championship and Finals MVP with an iconic Finals victory over the Spurs.
The 2016 championship is arguably LeBron’s crowning achievement. It was his second season back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he had one mission: to bring the franchise its first-ever NBA title. This time, he was matched up against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, and he was pushed to his absolute limit.
Even with a stacked roster, the Cavs found themselves down 3-1 in the series before a miraculous three-game stretch from LeBron and his main co-star, Kyrie Irving. They ended up winning the series in seven, not only pulling off the upset but also the greatest playoff comeback in basketball history. James was named Finals MVP in the series with averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.
Finally, there’s LeBron’s latest championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2019-20 campaign was disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns, and the season experienced unprecedented changes that included a hiatus in the middle of the season. When they resumed, LeBron kept his team focused on the mission and managed to add his name to the list of Lakers champions with a series victory over the Miami Heat. He put up 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game to win his fourth Finals MVP.
Today, at 40 years old, LeBron likes to reflect on his victories and celebrate his career whenever he can. Of course, that doesn’t mean his story is over; far from it, actually. Going into his 23rd season, alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron has plans to help the Lakers make another title run, and it could result in another trophy to add to his collection.
