SAN FRANCISCO – LeBron James has played for three different teams over the course of his 23-year career. Even though they are not among that list, the Warriors have continually been tied to him in competition.
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There have been game-winners, Finals wins and losses and epic playoff moments while he played for the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.
While the Warriors join the pack of teams bidding for the 41-year-old legend’s services as a free agent, let’s take a look at some of the more memorable moments James has had against the Warriors.
Jan. 15, 2024: First game against Warriors
A rookie James’ 29 points were not enough to lift a truly moribund Cavaliers team to victory in his first-ever game against the Warriors. Clifford Robinson and Jason Richardson combined for 60 points in the Warriors’ 119-102 win. Mike Dunleavy Jr., now the team’s general manager in charge of wooing James to Golden State, was just a second-year player at the time.
Feb. 12, 2014: Game-winner for Heat
Not every memorable James-vs.-Warriors moment happened as a Cavalier or Laker. In James’ final season as a member of the Heat, he hit a step-back 3-pointer with less than a second remaining to take down the Marc Jackson-led Warriors. A few months later, Golden State would hire Steve Kerr as coach, and the rest is history.
June 16, 2015: Warriors win first NBA Finals of Curry-Kerr era
The first of four consecutive Finals matchups between the Warriors and Cavaliers. James tried to will the shorthanded Cavaliers – without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving for most of the series – to victory and even took a 2-1 series lead. But despite averaging 35.8 points per game, James was foiled by Curry and Co. in six games as the Warriors began their dynasty.
June 10, 2016: Draymond hits James’ crotch
The biggest comeback in James’ career may not have materialized had cooler heads prevailed in the final minutes of the Warriors’ Game 4 victory. James and Green collided on a screen, Green fell over, and then he backhanded James in the groin as play continued. Green earned a flagrant and a one-game suspension, giving the Cavaliers a glimmer of hope to come back in the series.
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June 13-19, 2016: The 3-1 comeback
Yes, the 2016 Finals were so epic that they earned two spots. After going down 3-1 to a team that had gone 73-9 in the regular season, James averaged a preposterous 36.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 3.0 blocks and 3.0 steals per game in the next three victories. When his team needed him the most, James delivered against a franchise on the precipice of history. His chasedown block of Andre Iguodala with under two minutes left in Game 7 preserved an 89-89 tie and set the stage for Kyrie Irving’s dagger over Steph Curry that sealed the comeback.
Nov. 1, 2016: 3-1 Halloween party
How much did the Cavaliers enjoy winning the 2016 Finals? Well, James organized a Halloween party later that year that included decorations referencing the comeback from 3-1 down, and tombstone cookies with Curry and Klay Thompson’s names on them. James has not taken many digs at the Warriors despite his numerous duels with them, so this might have been the pettiest thing he did in the history of his rivalry with the organization.
June 7, 2017: KD over LeBron twice
Neither the 2017 nor 2018 Finals were particularly close, with the Kevin Durant-Curry-Thompson Warriors simply too talented for the Cavaliers. But in one of the rare close games between the teams, Durant showed why the Warriors were seen as unbeatable. With under a minute left in Game 3 and down by two points, Durant buried a triple over James to give Golden State a lead and a 3-0 series lead. Durant then hit a similar shot in the same situation the next year.
May 31, 2018: JR Smith blunder
James’ reaction to an all-time gaffe has been immortalized as a popular meme. With the score tied and time expiring in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, Cavaliers guard JR Smith gathered an offensive rebound and inexplicably decided to dribble the ball out to halfcourt rather than take a close shot for the win. James extended both arms in incredulity during the pre-overtime break. The Warriors ended up sweeping Cleveland 4-0 to win their third title in four years.
May 19, 2021: Aiming for ‘middle rim’ in 2021
With a minute remaining in the Lakers’ 2021 play-in game against the Warriors, James was still reeling from being poked in the eye by Draymond Green. But with only a second left on the shot clock and the score tied, James let it fly from well beyond the 3-point line. He told the ESPN broadcast after the game, “I was literally seeing three rims out there, so I just shot at the middle one.”
May 12, 2023: The last playoff matchup
The final(?) postseason meeting between Curry and James saw the Lakers end Golden State’s repeat bid in a six-game series. James closed out the Warriors with a 30-9-9 stat line, while Curry went out on his sword by putting up 32 points for the sixth-seeded Warriors.
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