LeBron James is arguably one of the greatest playoff performers we have ever seen in the NBA. LBJ leads the list for many all-time playoff records like points. He was able to make this happen due to his incredible streak of not losing before the NBA Finals from 2010 to 2021.
The 11-year-run was started by the Orlando Magic, eliminating LeBron’s Cavs in the 2010 Playoffs. LeBron would go to 4 consecutive NBA Finals with the Miami Heat from 2011 to 2014 before doing it 4 more times with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018.
After missing the 2019 Playoffs in his first year in LA, LeBron would again go on to the NBA Finals in 2020 before facing his first loss in a pre-Finals circumstance in 2021 against the Phoenix Suns.
The regularity with which LeBron has played in the NBA Finals and made deep playoff runs have allowed him to rack up incredible stats. We know no player has played more games in the Playoffs than LeBron, but LeBron has also played more playoff games since he was drafted in 2003 than some of the most iconic championship teams of his generation like the Warriors and Spurs, and even his own Heat, Cavs, and Lakers.
Total Playoff games since 2003-04:
LeBron James: 266
Miami Heat: 216
Boston Celtics: 212
San Antonio Spurs: 207
Golden State Warriors: 157
Los Angeles Lakers: 154
Cleveland Cavaliers: 152
(h/t @FunFactsnStats) pic.twitter.com/5VZvafORzu
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 7, 2022
LeBron’s 266 playoff games sit 50 games and more ahead of everyone else. Considering every postseason can see a team play a maximum of 28 games (if every series stretches to 7 games), LeBron’s record is going to be intact for another season even if the Lakers miss the Playoffs again.
LeBron moving teams often has allowed him to be in competitive situations consistently in his career. However, the fact that LeBron has achieved something like this over the most decorated teams since he entered the NBA is absolutely incredible and something we may never see 1 player achieve again.
