One might think that, by the future Hall of Famer's own estimation, the best season of LeBron James's record-breaking career would be one that ended in a title.
Interestingly enough, that is not the case, though he did come close.
Speaking on an episode of his Mind the Game podcast released Wednesday, James, currently in the middle of a historic 23rd season, identified his 2017-18 season with the Cavs as his best and the one "where I felt the most complete as a basketball player."
"I felt like I could do no wrong out there on the basketball floor," the forward explained. "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 2017-18, with the team that we had. That season right there, I felt like that was probably my most complete season. I played all 82 games, I believe, that year. Then, if you include the playoffs, I played over 100 games. I didn't miss one game that season. A lot of factors went into that."
Watch that answer below:
During that 2017-18 season, @KingJames could do no wrong.
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) December 9, 2025
Steve and Bron answered YOUR questions on this week's mailbag episode. Watch on our YouTube, @primevideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts — link in bio. pic.twitter.com/1dr227hVEd
James's memory of that campaign is correct. He did appear in all 82 games, during which he averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists across about 36.9 minutes per contest. He'd then play another 17 games on top of that in the postseason, when he averaged 34/9.1/9.0 in 41.9 minutes a game.
The Cavs made it all the way to the Finals that year, but lost to the Warriors in four games. James notably scored 51 points in Game 1, though Cleveland would still go on to lose that specific contest in overtime after J.R. Smith's infamous mistake.
From an individual stat perspective, James averaged his highest PPG (31.4) in 2005-06, his highest rebounds per game in 2016-17 and 2017-18 (8.6), and his highest assists per game (10.2) in 2019-20. So, when taken together, his totals for 2017-18 really were some of the strongest, if not the best, of his career.
This season, the King is off to a much slower start thanks to a sciatica issue on his right side. He has so far played in just seven contests, but is still averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
The Lakers will next play vs. the Spurs in Wednesday's knockout round of the 2025 NBA Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James’s Pick for the Best Season of His NBA Career Didn’t End With Title.
