Ranking LeBron James' 10 best career moments

Given the way he’s playing, it’s hard to believe that LeBron James turned 39 years old at the end of December. His career has been full of indelible moments that are synonymous with NBA history in the 21^st century. While James looks forward to another successful season, we’ll look back at his top 10 career moments.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were in dire straits in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, as they stared a 2-0 series deficit in the face. To make matters worse, the Orlando Magic were going to beat them consecutively on their home floor. James saved the day by drilling an off balance three pointer over Hedo Turkoglu at the buzzer to even the series.

From day one, it was clear that James was going to be a special player. His first career game against the Sacramento Kings was a display of the versatility he brought to the floor, even as a teenager. James finished with 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists, and the sky was the limit for the phenom.

The Cavaliers hoped to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, and the ball was inbounded to James with time winding down. He drove the ball the length of the floor and hit a runner off the glass from the wing to ice the game for Cleveland as time expired.

Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals seemed to be in hand for Cleveland, but James punctuated the victory with a ferocious slam over Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. TNT play by play commentator Kevin Harlan capped the excitement by saying James had no regard for human life after his emphatic jam.

James would have another iconic moment against the Celtics a few years later. In a 2013 regular season game, he caught a lob pass that he slammed over Boston guard Jason Terry. There was nothing Terry could do to stop the freight train, and it had to feel good for James to finish the play in that fashion. Terry was on the 2011 Dallas Mavericks team that beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

After the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, the NBA changed the format of the All-Star game to honor his legacy. A team would need to hit a target point total in order to secure a win. James’ team was two points away from the total in 2022, and James made a difficult fadeaway over Zach LaVine and Joel Embiid to deliver a victory for his squad.

The Cavaliers didn’t have the most talented roster in the early part of James’ career, but that didn’t stop him from taking the team to new heights on his back. He scored Cleveland’s last 25 points in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Remarkably, this was a contest that went into overtime, so the pressure was at its highest for each hoop.

Many have tried to emulate the storied image of Dwyane Wade’s arms wide open while James throws down a dunk behind him, but there’s nothing quite like the original. The play happened in December 2010 in a Heat road game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The fact that the sequence continues to get so much residual attention makes it a top moment in James’ career.

It felt like Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s career scoring record was not going to be in reach for anyone to break. It would take someone who had longevity and durability to be able to compile enough points to challenge the figure. James’ career has checked both of those boxes, and he broke the long standing mark in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in February 2023.

The play that stands out above all the rest given the stakes was LeBron James’ block of Andre Iguodala’s layup in the waning moments of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. It seemed all but assured that Iguodala was going to give the Golden state Warriors a two point lead, but James rejected the shot. Cleveland would go on to win the title, which was the first in franchise history.