LeBron James reveals what he believes is the peak of his career in his recent podcast episode.
The Miami Heat have had a tremendous number of Hall of Famers pass through the organization, even at different junctures of their careers. They had Dwyane Wade in both the beginning and the end of his career, Jimmy Butler arrived on the scene at a later and older point, and then there's LeBron James, who was in the midst of his prime.
The league's all-time leading scorer signed with the franchise when he turned 26 years old and left after turning 29. Throughout his tenure, the future Hall of Famer averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and shot 54.3 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range, along with four NBA Finals appearances, winning two of them in back-to-back fashion.
James also won two regular-season MVPs, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and made First Team All-NBA during his Heat stint. The case could be made that those seasons were his peak; however, the icon himself revealed the answer.
In the latest episode of "Mind the Game," a podcast hosted by James and Hall of Famer Steve Nash, they took questions from the fans. When asked when he believed to be "Peak LeBron," the 21-time All-Star did not pick his time with the Heat:
"If you ask me what I feel like was my best season that I had, [when] I felt like the most complete as a basketball player, I would say 2018 [with the Cleveland Cavaliers]," James said. "I felt like I could do no wrong out there on the basketball floor. Offensively, defensively, I felt no flaws in my game. I felt like every time I stepped out on the floor, I really could do everything I wanted to do. All three levels defensively, guard all three levels. I still feel that way, but it was just another level of that in 2018."
That year, James averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks, and shot 54.2 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range, while playing all 82 games during the regular season, plus 22 games in the playoffs. The Cavaliers reached the Finals, but were swept by the powerhouse Golden State Warriors, who had Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green also in their primes.
James was certainly at his peak athletically during his time with the Heat, with all the flashing high and strong dunks, but analytically, 2018 was his best all-around season.
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