There are many things we know about LeBron James‘ NBA career. He is a four-time NBA champion. James is a four-time Finals MVP and a four-time league MVP. Lebron is a nineteen-time All-Star and thirteen-time All-NBA First Team. LeBron also knows when to abandon an organization. That brings us to the question, is it time for LeBron to tuck tail and run… again?
Cleveland
The Cavaliers won (were possibly handed) the number one overall pick in 2003 when Akron’s phenom entered the draft straight out of high school. The hometown “kid” immediately made an impact on the Cavs. James won Rookie of the Year while helping Cleveland win 35 games, eighteen more than the previous season. LeBron took the Cavs to the playoffs in his third season, and then to the Finals a year later. James would continue to drag the Cavaliers to the playoffs each year. In 2010 James and the Cavs could not overcome a strong Celtics team, and LeBron knew he was not going to win a title without help. After James failed to convince Chris Bosh and others to join him in balmy Cleveland, it was time for LeBron to tuck tail and run. Thus the “Decision.”
Miami
On July 1, 2010, LeBron James announced to the world that he was joining Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. James could not win it all in Cleveland with the roster they put around him, so he moved to sunny Florida. In his first season in Miami, the team overcame scrutiny and villainization to make the NBA Finals but lost to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in six games. The Heat went on to win the NBA Championship the next two seasons. In James’ final season in Miami, the Heat returned to the finals but lost to the Spurs in five games. After this disappointment that the “King” decided it was time to run before his promises of world dominance were revealed as a scam. So he returned home to Cleveland.
Cleveland
LeBron rejoined the Cavs in 2014 and tried his hand at GM at the same time. James helped the Cavs land Kevin Love to pair with young Point Guard Kyrie Irving. Knowing he needed a better surrounding cast, LeBron put together a team capable of winning it all. The new-look Cavs made the Finals in year one but lost in six games to the Warriors. After getting his coach fired mid-season, James ended the Cavaliers’ title drought by defeating the Warriors in an epic comeback.
In year three of the Cavs revival, Cleveland fell in the Finals to the same, but different, Warriors team. The Warriors were back in year four and swept the Cavaliers. It was at this point that James looked at the roster he put together and realized he could not win with them. So he left Cleveland strapped with crazy contracts for his friends and abandoned the Cavs for the second time.
LaLa Land
LeBron chose to join the LA Lakers in 2018. The Lakers had a solid nucleus of young budding stars, but LeBron decided he did not like them. The Lakers traded away most of their talent to acquire Anthony Davis in 2019. Covid would hit during that season forcing the NBA into the Orlando bubble, where James and Davis were able to defeat the Miami Heat in six games. James and the Lakers barely made the playoffs in 2021 and lost to the Suns in round one of the playoffs. In 2022 LeBron missed the playoffs altogether. Then this season Lebron found himself in the play-in round again, and eventually in the Western Conference Finals where the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets.
Present Day
If history has taught us anything, it is that LeBron refuses to persevere when his team does not win a title. He has not played in two straight seasons without a ring, so it would appear it is time for LeBron to tuck tail and run… again. LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever play basketball, but his refusal to build something that can last keeps him from being the greatest ever. Everywhere LeBron has been he has left a trail of fired coaches, overpaid friends, and a mess for someone else to clean up. Would Cleveland, Miami, and LA say it was worth it? Yes. But now LA is nearing the time they get to be abandoned by the King.
Vince hosts the Sports Stove Podcast each week and can be found on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions on the NBA, MLB, or NFL. If you need a more positive article on LeBron, check out the Belly Up NBA page.
