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Over his 20-year career, LeBron James has cemented himself as one of the best players of all time in the NBA. His elite playing style and consistency have helped him in his performances despite his age (38 years old).
LeBron, a four-time NBA champion and all-time scoring leader, is entering Year 21 in the league and continues to impress. At 38, defenders still find it challenging to guard him and his scoring averages remain high.
Several elite defenders have tried to slow down James ever since he joined the league back in 2003. From Bruce Bowen to Shawn Marion, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler, all have done their best to contain the future Hall of Famer.
With that in mind, here are five of the most elite defenders who tried to stop James.
LeBron James stoppers who aren't in the NBA right now
#5 - Metta World Peace
Ron Artest, or Metta World Peace, was one of the best defenders in the NBA. A tough, versatile forward who could guard almost every player on the floor, Metta was one of the very few players who had contained James in more than one game.
James and World Peace faced each other 21 times in the regular season, with LeBron winning 13 of them. Metta once admitted that he found it challenging to contain the four-time champion in more than just a few games:
"He [LeBron] was one of the few guys that I literally couldn’t stop when I wanted to. I had maybe a couple of good games, but he was one of the guys I definitely didn’t have his number. Some people say I did, but I just don’t see it."
Over these 21 games, LeBron James has averages of 26.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 6.8 apg, with World Peace, limiting him to fewer than 25 points in just six of them.
#4 - Shawn Marion
Shawn Marion was an elite defender during his years with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. He would usually take up the task of guarding the opponent's top players.
Although Marion had faced LeBron many times, it was the 2011 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks that put him on this list.
The Mavs used a zone defense and placed Shawn to guard LeBron, allowing them to shift the momentum and make a comeback from down 2-1.
With Marion on guard, LeBron James was limited to just 17.8 points in the series, which was by far his worst-ever performance in any NBA Finals series.
#3 - Lance Stephenson
Lance Stephenson made a rivalry with LeBron in the mid-2010s when the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat were two of the top teams in the East.
The Heat and Pacers collided twice in the Eastern Conference Finals (2013, 2014), with Miami winning both times. Stephenson once said it was tough to guard LeBron, so he was trying to do his best, using both mind games and attempting to bring LeBron to his weak spots to guard him.
"That guy is a tough guy to guard, so you got to bring your all, and that’s what I did," Lance Stephenson once said.
Over 47 games between the two, LeBron James won 29 of those matchups, averaging 27.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 8.0 apg. In addition to this, LeBron was limited to 23 or fewer points in only five of those games.
#2 - Luol Deng
Luol Deng was an elite defender during his playing days and a member of one of the best defensive teams in the Chicago Bulls.
Early in the 2010s, the Bulls and the Heat were rivals in the East with the Derrick Rose vs LeBron James battle headlining the action.
The two have played against each other 49 times with James holding a 28-21 record. Like other elite defenders, Deng tried to slow down LeBron and managed to limit him to 24 or fewer points in 12 of these games, most of them during the Chicago/ Miami rivalry.
His highlight was the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, where Deng kept LeBron James to 44.7 percent shooting from the field, 6.3 percent down from the King's season average (51 percent). His defensive performance was not enough to lead Chicago to the Finals.
#1 - Andre Iguodala
Maybe the best defender against LeBron James was Andre, with his defense being key to the Golden State Warriors triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015.
"It's really not about stopping him 'cause you can't. It's just about beating him to the spot before he gets there. You just got to have that will, understanding you’re guarding the top talent ever. He’s going to make you pay when you make mistakes.
"You just try to play mistake-free basketball. Put him in vulnerable situations where you feel like you got the advantage, whether it’s a shot or a pass or where he is defensively," Andre Iguodala once told the Undefeated.
Based on ESPN stats, James made 139 field goal attempts vs. Iguodala, with the former Warriors' guard holding him to 44 percent from the field.
Overall, like Stephenson and the other elite defenders, Andre aimed to make LeBron James feel uncomfortable on offense and not let him find any rhythm.
