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LeBron James is a top-5 NBA player of all time and is consistently involved in conversations about who the G.O.A.T of basketball should be. To earn such a stature in the game, James has had to battle his way past countless opponents, all of whom would love to claim that they stopped one of the best.
Few have succeeded, however. Instead, NBA fans have witnessed some great battles between LeBron James and other stars of the league, mostly during his time in the Eastern Conference when he played in nine Finals series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
In this article, we will look at James' top 5 opponents of all-time. Some are not necessarily the most talented opposition he has faced but with whom he has had famous duels with over the years.
Listing the top 5 opponents of LeBron James' career
#5 Paul George
Only 11 players have faced LeBron James in more playoff fixtures than Paul George. During his time with the Indiana Pacers, he faced and lost to James' teams four times, twice in the Eastern Conference Finals during agonizing six and seven-game series.
A young, athletic George was one of LeBron James' greatest threats to his throne in the East from 2012 to 2017, during which time the Pacers guard earned four All-Star appearances. He played without the burden he currently has from years of success and was explosive at the rim. In the 2014 Conference Finals, he outscored James with 24 points per game but had less effect on the overall outcome of the series.
After moving to the Western Conference to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul George became LeBron James' opponent on the court on fewer occasions. With the pair both playing in LA, however, there is an opportunity for a renewal of their rivalry in the playoffs this season, which fans have missed out on for the past two years.
#4 Joakim Noah
Despite being among the most dominant teams in the East from 2009 until 2015, the Chicago Bulls were consistently thwarted by LeBron James' teams. Even in Derrick Rose's MVP season, the Bulls lost to James' Miami Heat 4-1 in the Conference Finals before losing again to them two years later in the semifinals.
Joakim Noah was at the peak of his abilities while playing for Chicago during this time. He earned two All-Star appearances, the league's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2014 and making three All-NBA teams. However, in his 52 battles with LeBron, Noah lost on 32 occasions, including 16 of 21 playoff fixtures.
The two had considerable beef with one another that all began in 2010 during LeBron's first stint with the Cavaliers. In a blowout loss for the Bulls, James was seen dancing and mocking his opposition on the side of the court, which Noah took exception to. Although the 6-11 center had immense respect for his opponent over the years, it didn't mean he had to like him.
On multiple future occasions, the pair butted heads with Noah calling LeBron's Miami Heat side 'Hollywood as hell', despite trying to recruit the four-time champion to the Bulls before he made his move to Florida. He would also get ejected in game two of the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals after an altercation with James.
Joakim Noah and LeBron James' battles were certainly some of the best in the East over the past decade. However, the latter would have the final say in the 2015 playoffs when he posterized the Bulls center in a comfortable 4-2 series win.
#3 Kevin Durant
Few players can go toe-for-toe with LeBron James offensively. However, in his battles with Kevin Durant, fans were able to witness some of the best scoring displays in Finals history.
After Durant's OKC side were consistently beaten late in the playoffs, including by LeBron's Miami Heat in 2012, he made the move to the Warriors in 2016. Alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, Durant helped the Dubs win back-to-back titles against James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
In their two Finals matchups against one another they traded blows, both scoring over 33 points per game in the 2017 series. Durant would go on to win both Finals MVP awards and hit multiple dagger threes in James' face. NBA fans are hoping to see the two matchup again in an almighty Finals series between the Lakers and Nets this year.
#2 Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala might have felt he had seen the last of LeBron James in the playoffs after he switched conferences in 2019. However, for the fifth time in six seasons, the two forwards battled yet again in the NBA Finals as the LA Lakers overcame the Miami Heat in six games.
Iguodala was integral to the Golden State Warriors dynasty that dominated the league for five years. He was primarily used as a Sixth Man but also started plenty of Finals matchups with the thankless task of slowing down James.
Though LeBron still regularly racked up huge scorelines, his stats when Iguodala was on the court were noticeably worse than when he sat out. So much so that the Golden State Warriors forward picked up the 2015 Finals MVP award for his efforts over their six-game series.
James' efficiency fell off a cliff per 36 minutes in the Finals that year when Iguodala was playing, scoring 8.8 fewer points, shooting at just 38% as opposed to 43% from the field and having a +/- of -9.5 instead of 16.6 when he rested.
The two players have faced each other 31 times in the playoffs, with no opponent having played James more in the postseason. That number could yet go up with Iguodala's move back to the West Coast.
#1 Paul Pierce
Nobody has faced LeBron James more times in their career than Paul Pierce did. In 69 games, Pierce had the better of James during the regular season (three wins more) but lost on four more occasions to James' sides in the playoffs.
Prior to the Boston Celtics forming their big 3 of Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007, LeBron and the Cavaliers had been dominating the East and had just lost the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs.
Over the ensuing three campaigns, though, James could not lead his Cavs side past the Celtics, losing on two occasions in the Conference semifinals and having to see them lift the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2008.
It wasn't until James created his own trio of superstars at the Miami Heat that he could take revenge on Pierce and the Celtics and simultaneously take charge of the East, knocking them out of the postseason in back-to-back campaigns.
Due to their consistent battling in the East, Pierce and LeBron had multiple epic duels, including in game 7 of the 2008 Conference semifinals. Of the 189 points scored in the fixture, which the C's took 97-92, the pair accounted for 86 of them with LBJ scoring 45 and Pierce 41.
As an outspoken member of the media, it is no surprise that Pierce doesn't always have the kindest words to say about LeBron. After all, it was a young James who took over the East from his rival. He even claimed that he didn't mind splitting from ESPN recently since he had to talk about the LA Lakers star 'all the time'.
