For the past 20 years, NBA Fans and NBA experts have placed an extraordinary amount of weight on the shoulders of LeBron James. He came into the NBA as a child fresh out of high school with more hype than any other NBA prospect ever and the future of an NBA franchise in his grasp. Without much controversy and little drama created by his own hand, James has met these expectations and then some while becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history. Today, our thoughts are going to be on one of his greatest accomplishments, his NBA Finals victories.
- 10. Draymond Green
- 9. Kawhi Leonard
- 8. Manu Ginobili
- 7. Tony Parker
- 6. Jimmy Butler
- 5. Klay Thompson
- 4. Russell Westbrook
- 3. Kevin Durant
- 2. Tim Duncan
- 1. Stephen Curry
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James faced some of the best competition in NBA history when he helped his team reach the NBA Finals 10 times over the past 20 years. He has faced first-ballot Hall of Famers, MVPs, and some of the names that are regulars on many all-time Top 10 lists. From 2011 through 2018, James led his teams to 8 consecutive Finals appearances with a record of 3-5 in those series. Our focus will be on the best players from those Finals teams and how we would rank them based on the player they were at the time they faced LeBron in the Finals.
Here are the 10 best players that LeBron James has defeated in the NBA Finals.
10. Draymond Green
As much as Draymond Green and LeBron James seem like friends in 2022-23, that was not always the case. James and Green were part of a fierce rivalry between Green’s Golden State Warriors and LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2010s. The 2 teams met 4 straight seasons in the NBA Finals, and every year was like a Hollywood Movie. The Warriors went 3-1 over the 4 Finals series, and Green averaged 12.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 6.0 APG in those 21 Finals games. What you won’t see show up on a stat sheet is the leadership, edge, playmaking, and defending that Green has brought to the Warriors over the years. It can be argued that right next to Curry stands Draymond Green in terms of impotence to the Warriors dynasty.
Despite LeBron’s 1-3 record against the Warriors in the Finals, the one win he got was historic. Down 3-1 in the series, James and his teammate Kyrie Irving initiated the biggest comeback in the history of the NBA Finals to win the title in 2016. The comeback is said to have been initiated by a suspension of Draymond Green for Game 5 after he threw a kick to LeBron’s lower body. James would average 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 8.9 APG to fuel the epic comeback and claim the Finals MVP award.
9. Kawhi Leonard
I know it seems a little off-base to have Kawhi Leonard so low on this list, but remember, this is the version of Kawhi that lost to LeBron James in the 2013 NBA Finals. This version of Kawhi Leonard was still coming into his own as an NBA player and was far off from the player he turned out to be in 2014 when he won the Finals MVP award over James and the Heat. The 2013 season was Kawhi’s 2nd in the NBA and saw him appear in just 58 games. In the playoffs, he started all 21 games and averaged 13.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.8 SPG.
The Finals series between Leonard’s Spurs and LeBron’s Heat in 2013 was legendary. The series went to 7 games after Ray Allen sunk a dramatic three that forced overtime in Game 6. Miami would go on to win both the game and the series afterward. James was clearly frustrated by Leonard’s defense in the 2013 and 2014 Finals matchups but got the best of Leonard in 2013. James averaged 25.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 7.0 APG in the series to claim the Finals MVP award. This included an incredible Game 7 performance that saw James record 37 points and 12 rebounds.
8. Manu Ginobili
Over the years, Manu Ginobili proved time and time again that he could be the energy boost the San Antonio Spurs needed late in important games. As one of the best bench players of his time and ever, Manu Ginobili was one of the craftier and more impactful shooting guards in basketball during the 2000s and 2010s. He is a former Sixth Man of the Year and a 4-time NBA champion. He was a part of all 3 Spurs teams that James had to face in his NBA Finals career, including the one that James defeated in 2013. By 2013, Ginobili was 2 years removed from his All-Star status but still contributed mightily with 11.8 PPG and 4.6 APG off of the bench for San Antonio.
Even compared to Kawhi Leonard at the time, Ginobili was still considered the more important player for the Spurs before Kawhi’s meteoric rise to stardom just one season later. In 2007, Ginobili helped the Spurs defeat James and the Cavs in a clean sweep with 17.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.3 SPG in the Finals. He played a significant role in the 2014 series win for San Antonio as well, averaging 14.4 PPG and 4.4 APG. James’ victory in 2013 over the Spurs gave him his second straight NBA title and second straight Finals MVP award.
7. Tony Parker
The final member of the Spurs supporting cast in the NBA Finals between them and LeBron James is Tony Parker. Tony Parker was one of the best point guards of the 2000s and never really gets his fair due for what he meant to the Spurs dynasty and their 5 NBA championships. Parker was actually the Finals MVP when LeBron and the Spurs met in the Finals back in 2007. In 2013, when James finally beat them in the Finals, Parker was an All-Star averaging 20.3 PPG and 7.6 APG as the Spurs starting point guard.
Tony Parker has to be considered one of the best paint-scoring point guards ever. He complimented his ability to get to the rim with his ability to knock down mid-range jumpers fairly regularly. In the 2013 Finals, Parker averaged 15.7 PPG and 6.4 APG during the 7-game stretch and shot the ball at just 41.2%. He would exact his revenge in 2014, though, averaging 18.0 PPG, which led the Spurs for the series as they defeated the Heat in 5 games.
6. Jimmy Butler
When Jimmy Butler and LeBron James met up in the 2020 NBA Finals, it was one of the unlikeliest matchups we had seen in quite some time. LeBron’s Lakers were supposed to be there, considered the favorite after acquiring Anthony Davis in the 2019 offseason. This was also, of course, after the worldwide shutdown of all sports and the NBA returned to a bubble environment at Disney World. Butler and the Heat left everything they had physically and mentally on the court just to reach the NBA Finals. In the playoffs, Butler averaged 22.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG to lead Miami.
James and the Lakers looked virtually unstoppable and were dealt 2 breaks when Miami lost both Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo to injuries. James had no intentions of letting this one get away from him at all as the Lakers downed the Heat in 6 games. James claimed his 4th NBA title and his Finals MVP averaging 29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 8.5 APG. Since this Finals win, however, the Lakers have struggled mightily and have failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
5. Klay Thompson
Since he and Steph Curry have adopted the Splash Bros. moniker, Klay Thompson has established himself as one of the best shooters and clutch players of the past 20 NBA seasons. Thompson has played an irreplaceable role in all of the Warriors’ 4 championships since 2015 and even more so in the wins against the Cavaliers and LeBron James. Thompson played 22 games against the Cavs in the NBA Finals in his career and has averaged 17.2 PPG on 36.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Thompson had also been one of the Warriors’ primary defenders over the years.
Once again, James’ lone Finals win over Thompson, and the Warriors came in the historic 2016 comeback. James was the Finals MVP of that series with 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 8.9 APG. Throughout all of his battles with Thompson in his career, James has only gone up against him in the regular season 16 times. In those games, James has averaged 28.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 5.6 APG. LeBron’s teams have just 6 wins and 10 losses in those 16 games against Thompson.
4. Russell Westbrook
As it stands in 2022-23, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2 are very familiar with each other, dating back to 2012 when Westbrook and the Thunder met James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Westbrook was not yet the triple-double king or an MVP, but he was certainly well on his way to stardom in the NBA. Westbrook made his 2nd All-Star appearance in 2012 when he met LeBron in the Finals and averaged 23.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 5.5 APG in the regular season. It can be argued that Westbrook was the best player on the floor during the Finals as he averaged 27.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 6.6 APG, but the Thunder would fall in 5 games to the Heat.
The 2012 NBA Finals was LeBron’s 3rd crack at an NBA title and his first victory. After a complete meltdown in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks, James was determined to get the proverbial monkey off of his back. James would do just that as he carried his MVP season over into the playoffs and through the Finals. James claimed his 1st title and Finals MVP award with 28.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 7.4 APG. It was the first of back-to-back championships for Miami and Finals MVP awards for LeBron James.
3. Kevin Durant
The version of Kevin Durant that met LeBron James in the 2012 NBA Finals was arguably the best version of Kevin Durant that we have ever seen. Durant was fresh off of his 3rd straight scoring title and 2 years from his 2014 MVP season. His name had been linked to LeBron James in the media leading up to the Finals as the 2 battled for the title of the best player in the world. Durant did all he could in the Finals, averaging 30.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.2 APG in the series. His and Westbrook’s efforts weren’t enough, as the Heat took care of business in 5 games.
One of the more impressive things about LeBron James over his career is that he has kept mostly quiet about the media-made-up rivalries between him and his NBA peers. James has also gone up against Kevin Durant in the Finals during the Warriors-Cavs annual show at the end of the season. Durant got the upper hand twice in those series, winning both Finals MVP awards to top it all off. James has surpassed Durant fairly easily in any-time rankings, and nothing has really changed in the years after.
2. Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time and one of the most accomplished NBA players in history. He would easily be No. 1 on this list if James had defeated him when they first met in 2007. Instead, LeBron did not get the best of Duncan until later in his career, when things began to decline. The 2013 season was an All-Star one for Duncan but still one well below the standards of his prime. He averaged 17.8 PPG and 9.9 RPG in the regular season but was visibly slowed compared to the first time he and James met in the Finals. James and the Heat would be the ones to prevail this time, but Duncan still has his bragging rights.
Back when Tim Duncan was in the heart of his prime and LeBron was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers the first time, these 2 legends met in the NBA Finals. That time, Tony Parker would claim the Finals MVP award, but Duncan was still his same old dominant self. He averaged 18.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG, and 2.3 BPG as the Spurs swept Cleveland. Then in 2014, Duncan was again much less dominant but still effective as the Spurs defeated the Heat in 5 games. In that series, Duncan was still a 15.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG player, but Finals MVP honors went to Kawhi Leonard.
1. Stephen Curry
It will be tough to convince anybody that Stephen Curry isn’t the player that deserves to be named the best opponent LeBron James has ever beaten in the NBA Finals. In 2016, Stephen Curry was the first unanimous MVP in NBA history and averaged 30.1 PPG to lead the league on 45.4% shooting from three. He led the Warriors to a 73-9 record, breaking the previous mark set by Michael Jordan and the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Safe to say that when you are doing things that only the GOAT has ever done, you’re doing amazing. Of all the superstars that James has met in the NBA Finals, this version of Stephen Curry is by far the best.
James and Curry’s names will be linked together for the rest of NBA history. James and Curry have been the two biggest superstars and the league’s 2 best players for quite some time now. They have met each other on the biggest stage in the NBA Finals multiple times, with historic outcomes. Both men have 4 championships to their name and a whole lot more trophies that line their respective cases. At the height of the modern-day NBA stood these 2 players that changed the game forever. For that, Stephen Curry is our No. 1 opponent that LeBron James has beaten in the NBA Finals.
