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A common narrative surrounding LeBron James over his 17-year NBA career is that he has not been surrounded with the greatest talent. Has that always been the case? The answer is most certainly no. The King has teamed up with a few superstars during his championship-winning years. Here, take a look at the greatest starting five of LeBron James' teammates.
Greatest starting 5 featuring LeBron James' teammates
King James has won four NBA championships in his career. Two with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, the famous 2016 NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and most recently with the LA Lakers in 2020. He has won the NBA Finals MVP in all four of those championship seasons but has been aided by a number of high-quality players.
Of course, LeBron James has been the driving force behind the success of those squads, but his superstar teammates and supporting cast have performed their roles admirably as well.
This list will look at the greatest starting 5 featuring LeBron James' teammates. The King does not make this starting lineup, of course.
Without further ado, here are Lebron's top 5 teammates over his storied career.
Rajon Rondo
Very few ball-dominant players have found the right way to play off of LeBron James, as Rajon Rondo did during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Now a two-time NBA champion, Rondo was the third-best player on the LA Lakers roster during the 2020 Playoffs run.
LeBron James' great court vision and ability to make the right plays on the offensive end results in him performing the role of point guard for most of his teams. His tendency to dictate play means that natural point guards have not flourished around him.
However, Rondo took advantage of every minute he played during the 2020 NBA Playoffs and was an essential piece off the bench for the LA Lakers.
Rondo was expected to be a role player for the side but ended up taking on much larger responsibility. He averaged 9 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in the 2020 NBA postseason, while shooting 40% from the three-point line on 3.1 attempts per game. His efficient shooting saw him play more minutes in the 2020 postseason but more importantly, Rondo also showcased his vintage playmaking and controlled the offense for long periods.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving played three seasons alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and was a huge part of their NBA Finals win in the legendary 2016 NBA Finals.
Though Irving is listed as a point guard, his handling and shoot-first mindset gelled well with LeBron James' all-around approach.
Irving averaged 22 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game on 47% shooting from the field and 39% from the three-point line with LeBron James in 200 regular season games.
One of Kyrie Irving's most impressive traits was his ability to take his game to another level during the NBA Playoffs. He had an extraordinary 2016 NBA Finals, with averages of 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Irving recorded three 30-point games in the 2016 NBA Finals and had shooting splits of 47/40/94. To top things off, he hit the series-clinching shot in game seven after Lebron James blocked Andre Iguodala's layup attempt.
Dwyane Wade
Arguably LeBron James' greatest teammate, Dwyane Wade formed a deadly partnership with James during the Miami Heat's back-to-back NBA title-winning seasons in 2012 and 2013.
LeBron James joined Wade and the Heat in 2010, and the pair oversaw the start of the Big-Three era for the Heat, alongside Chris Bosh.
In their four years together, the Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals four times, winning the 2012 and 2013 titles. Wade was the perfect foil for Lebron and was even was the team's best player during the 2011 NBA Finals defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.
In his four years with LeBron James, Wade averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game on 51% shooting. During the NBA Playoffs, Wade had averages of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on 47% shooting from the field.
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh was the third star of the Miami Heat's Big Three during the LeBron James era at South Beach. A franchise player for the Toronto Raptors during the first seven years of his career, Bosh was a major reason behind the Miami Heat's consecutive NBA titles.
Bosh averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds per game on 50% shooting during LeBron James' four years in Miami.
In the 2012 postseason, Bosh missed nine games after suffering an abdominal strain during the second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. When he returned to action, the Heat was down 3-2 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The big man's return from injury helped the Heat launch a much-needed comeback.
In the pivotal Game 7 against Boston, he scored 19 points on eight of 10 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds, helping the team advance to The Finals.
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is right there with Wade as LeBron James' greatest teammate.
Though Wade had one of the greatest NBA careers ever, Anthony Davis' dominance is breathtaking in its own right.
In their only year together so far, the duo was absolutely unstoppable, leading the LA Lakers to the Western Conference's top seed and their 17th NBA title.
Davis led the team in points per game (26.1) and Player Efficiency Rating (27.4) in the regular season.
AD again led the team in scoring in the 2020 NBA Playoffs as well and was easily the best defender on the roster.
While LeBron James won deservedly won Finals MVP recognition, Anthony Davis earned his fair share of applause for his fantastic two-way performances.
