Seven years ago today LeBron James won the first NBA championship of his career. Playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron helped lead the Miami Heat to a 4-1 series victory over Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder. While averaging 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on 47% shooting for the series, LeBron was named NBA Finals MVP.
After Game 5 concluded on June 21, 2012, the King described that triumphant moment to the late, great, Stuart Scott of ESPN as being long overdue. In light of the manner by which James left Cleveland in 2010, and the vitriol he received as a result from fans across the NBA, it seemed like LeBron was long overdue for an NBA title by the time he finally secured one. But in truth, James was still only 27 years old when he was crowned champion for the first time–the same age as Michael Jordan when he won his first title in 1991.
During the 2012 NBA Finals against Durant and the Thunder, James scored 30, 32, 29, 26 and 26 points in each of the five contests as Miami’s leading scorer in every game. He also posted a triple-double in Game 5 with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds while dishing out a game-high 12 assists in Game 4, and collecting a game-high 14 rebounds in Game 3. During the only matchup the Heat lost in the series–Game 1–James finished with 30 points and nine rebounds. Ten years after Sports Illustrated declared him to be ‘The Chosen One,’ LeBron had officially cemented his legacy as an NBA champion.
“You know, my dream has become a reality now, and it’s the best feeling I ever had,” James told the Associated Press after the game. “I’m happy now that eight years later, nine years later since I’ve been drafted, that I can finally say that I’m a champion, and I did it the right way. I didn’t shortcut anything. You know, I put a lot of hard work and dedication in it, and hard work pays off. It’s a great moment for myself.”
