Among his four NBA titles, there’s no question for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James which stood one among the rest.
Spoiler alert: It’s one of, if not, the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
“Man, there’s nothing better for me than that Cleveland one just because of everything,” James said in the “New Heights” podcast with NFL stars and Super Bowl champions Jason and Travis Kelce.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t hesitate when asked which of his championships meant the most to him, calling that 2016 title run as the most memorable moment of his career.
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“Being down 3-1 with the greatest team, 73-9 Warriors with Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) and Draymond (Green). And coming back and winning that series for the city of Cleveland, for Northeast Ohio. That’s why you saw those emotions. You saw me crying on the court,” James reminisced.
He added: “That’s one year I’ll never forget. 2016.”
The Cavaliers, after falling behind three games to one to the then mighty Warriors in championship series, rallied to win the last three games -- including two on the road, capped off by a clutch 93-89 win in Game 7. James scored 27 points along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists that night. He went on to win his third Finals MVP award.
To this day, that Cleveland squad led by the trio of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love became the first and only team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
Fast forward to 2025, the current Cavaliers squad bannered by Donovan Mitchell boasts the best record in the East at 34-6.
“The Cavs look amazing right now. They’ve got another opportunity. I hope they keep it going. They’ve got an opportunity to do something special,” James said.
LeNFL: What Could Have Been?
Perhaps one of, if not the greatest basketball player, James has achieved almost everything in the NBA. But things could have gone entirely different.
Known for being a NFL fan, the 40-year-old revealed that he did "consider seriously" switching from the hardwood to the gridiron during the 2011 NBA lockout season.
"The only time I've really taken it super-duper seriously was in 2011 when we had the NBA lockout and I didn't know when we were going to make the deal with the owners and get our league back going, so I actually thought about it a little bit back then,” the King admitted.
That season didn't begin until Christmas Day due to the lockout in what became a 66-game regular season. James went on to win the first of his two titles with the Miami Heat shortly after.
"I was still young enough to get out there with y'all, but that's the only time I've actually seriously considered it."
