On the ‘Tidal League’ podcast, NBA sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. explained why 2012 was the best version of LeBron James we’ve ever seen. According to Tim, LeBron’s second season with the Heat is among the best stretches of play by any player in NBA history.
“2012. I was still and college and still a Heat fan at the time… when he was catching lob after lob when he was dunking the ball and the damn net was coming in and out after every dunk? I’m big on 2012 Bron,” said Hardaway Jr. on Tidal League.
"2012…When he was catching lob after lob, when he was dunking the ball and the damn net was coming in and out after every dunk? I'm big on 2012 Bron."
Tim Hardaway Jr. on the best version of LeBron James.
(via @TidalLeague) pic.twitter.com/K830VdwjP6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 19, 2023
LeBron’s game has changed a lot over the years, and his emphasis on different areas of the game has varied from team to team. But when you consider where LeBron was both athletically and intellectually with the Miami Heat, it makes sense why it’s often considered the best period of his career. In 2012 specifically, the Miami Heat were obliterating the league en route to their first championship together and LeBron was arguably at the peak of his powers.
2012 LeBron James Was A Beast
While King James has been putting on a show for two decades now, 2012 was arguably his best. James won the MVP award that season after averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 53% shooting. At this point, LeBron was only 27 years old and was at maximum speed and strength. And while the Heat were far from perfect in the regular season, they more than made up for it in the playoffs, where they won the title after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That title was just the first of many for LeBron, who would go on to lead the Heat to another title in the following season. By all accounts, it was an unprecedented period of prosperity for LeBron James and his inability to be stopped by anyone in the league is a level very few players have been able to reach and it’ll go down as one of the defining moments of his career when it’s all said and done.
LeBron Still Going Strong Over 10 Years Later
Today, LeBron doesn’t make the same impact he did back as a member of the Heat, but nobody is expecting that from him anymore at 38 years old. Instead, most fans are just impressed that he continues to be among the best players in basketball even after over 20 seasons of mileage on his body.
With the Lakers, James has not found the same success as his other stops but he does have one championship there and he’s still working to get more. Heading into this season, there is a sense that James is feeling better than he has in a long time and it could have major implications for the Western Conference standings. Even now, over 20 years after he was drafted, LeBron James has a major influence on the balance of power in the NBA, and while he may not be at his best, only a fool would count him and his Lakers out of the title race this season.
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