LeBron James has won four championships in his career, helping solidify his status as one of the greatest players to ever play basketball. That wasn’t always the case as many had questioned if James would ever win even one title.
Following the Miami Heat’s Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, which made LeBron 0-2 in two finals appearances, he was asked if he is bothered by having so many fans root against him, to which he responded:
“Absolutely not, because at the end of the day, all the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they got to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They got the same personal problems they had today.
“I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they got to get back to the real world at some point.”
James walked back his comments two days later by stating that he meant that the season is over and everyone, including him, has to move on. He added that he does not believe he is better or bigger than anyone.
While the Miami Heat were unsuccessful in their first year with LeBron on the roster, they did win two titles in four seasons. The future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has added two more titles, winning one each with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Lakers.
How did LeBron James perform in his 20th season in the NBA?
LeBron James could be the oldest active player in the NBA in 2023-24. Despite playing in his 20th season, James was once again named All-NBA last season.
The LA Lakers star averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field, 32.1% from 3-point range and 76.8% from the free-throw line.
LeBron was able to help the Lakers advance to the Western Conference finals, despite largely putting their team together at the trade deadline. With a full offseason and time to build chemistry, James will hope to capture his fifth championship next season.
Check out LeBron James’ 2022-23 highlights below: