20 years of Dominance: A look at all the legends LeBron James faced off with in the NBA

21st year
Beating young stars
20 years ago
Missing Jordan
The legends
Lakers Shaquille O'Neal
'Big Diesel'
76ers Allen Iverson
Prime AI
Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller
Tail end of his career
Orlando Tracy McGrady
Scorer
All-Star Grant Hill
His last good season
Two of his coaches
21st year

As LeBron James continues to break records and put up numbers like he has in his 21st season, it's easy to forget how long he has played in the NBA.

Beating young stars

James won the first NBA Cup Championship and MVP, beating out young stars Tyrese Haliburton and Zion Williamson in the final and semi-finals.

20 years ago

20 years ago, LeBron James was that young star, playing against the NBA's best players and competing against legends of the 80s and 90s.

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Missing Jordan

James missed playing against his idol Michael Jordan by one season as Jordan played his final game in April 2003, and LeBron played his first game in October 2003.

The legends

Nevertheless, here are the legends young LeBron James faced that show how long he has dominated the NBA!

Lakers Shaquille O'Neal

When James came into the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers were still one of the premiere teams in the West, having come off a late playoff exit in 2003 and making the NBA Finals in James' first season.

'Big Diesel'

In James' first season in the NBA, 'Shaq' still averaged over 20 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks. James would also play with O'Neal in Cleveland, and they played in four NBA All-Star games together.

76ers Allen Iverson

In LeBron's rookie year, Allen Iverson was still playing at his all-star level best for the Philadelphia 76ers, having only just come off his MVP and Finals run in 2001.

Prime AI

Iverson was the All-Star MVP in James's first All-Star game in 2005, playing five all-star games together. While James was in the league, Iverson was an NBA scoring leader and First Team All-NBA member for the 76ers.

Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller

It's hard to believe that the man who gave Michael Jordan some of his toughest tests in the '80s and '90s would matchup against Lebron in the early part of his career, but Reggie Miller has played against both GOATs.

Tail end of his career

Miller was in his final two seasons when James joined the NBA in 2003, but he was part of a Pacers team destined to win the championship if the 'Malice at the Palace' hadn't happened. Miller was 5-2 against James in his career.

Orlando Tracy McGrady

NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady played in the NBA until 2013, but his spell with the Orlando Magic between 2000 and 2004 was legendary, and a young James matched up against him in his rookie year.

Scorer

In his final year with Orlando and James' first year in Cleveland, McGrady was the NBA scoring champion, his second in a row, and selected into the NBA All-Second team. At Christmas 2003, the pair faced off with 'TMac' scoring 41 and James scoring 34.

All-Star Grant Hill

Grant Hill was a revolutionary player in the NBA, becoming one of the first forwards to have explosive pace and handles like an NBA guard in the 1990s, earning several All-NBA and All-Star selections before having life-threatening complications after ankle surgery went wrong.

His last good season

Despite that, a young LeBron James played against and with Hill at the 2005 All-Star game while playing for the Orlando Magic. The 2004/05 season was Hill's final all-star level season as he continued to suffer from injuries until his retirement in 2013.

Two of his coaches

To show how long LeBron has been in the NBA, 'The King' has matched up against his current coach, Darvin Ham, on four occasions and his former coach, Ty Lue, on 14 occasions, winning nine.

 

 

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