Standing the test of time requires excellence – whether it be in film, art, literature, music, TV.
Or athletics. LeBron James has stood the test of time, like all the greats.
You turn 40 on Monday, LeBron. What a life. Incredible. Unreal. Surreal.
A kid from Akron, Ohio, with modest means but a ton of support and talent. But you also knew you had to work. And you did. Still, the odds were not in your favor.
But here you are, in your 22nd NBA season, a pro basketball career that ranks among the greatest of all-time.
Go back to 1984 when you were born. Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ debuted that year. Think of all of the hits on that album that have stood the test of time. It’s an all-time classic.
Some of the very best things in life are timeless.
Happy Birthday, LeBron. Enjoy.
Here’s 40 defining moments from LeBron James’ career:
1. James gets his first bucket (of many more to come)
On Oct. 29, 2003, LeBron James, 18 at the time, made his NBA debut against the Kings. Three minutes into the game, James laced a baseline jumper from the right side for his first career basket. He’d end up with 25 points, nine assists, six boards and four steals.
2. The Block in Cavaliers’ championship clincher
In Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, James, a native of Akron, Ohio, delivered the Cavaliers their first championship and the city’s first championship in 52 years. He recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and came up with a game-saving block with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter of a 93-89 victory, helping the Cavs become the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win in the Finals.
3. Forcing Game 7 in Finals vs. Warriors
In Games 5 and 6 of the 2016 Finals, James scored 41 points in each must-win game – he added 11 assists, four steals and three blocks in Game 6 and 16 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks in Game 5.
4. James wins Rookie of the Year
After averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 79 appearances, James won the NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 2003-04 season. James helped the Cavs post an 18-win improvement from the season previous, or a 105.9% increase.
5. Another Eastern Conference title
Nearing the end of James’ second stint with the Cavs and eight consecutive Finals appearances, James had 35 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks in an 87-79 Game 7 victory over Boston in the Eastern Conference finals on May 27, 2018.
6. James creates the LeBron James Family Foundation
In 2004, James started his foundation that initially gave out bikes and backpacks before evolving into after-school programs. The foundation was the precursor to the creation of a public school in his hometown of Akron. The foundation also provides rent-free housing to more than a dozen families, when needed.
7. Playoff buzzer-beater vs. Raptors
James hit an improbable, game-winning one-handed runner off the glass as the fourth quarter expired for his 37th and 38th points, giving Cleveland a 105-103 victory and 3-0 series lead against Toronto on May 5, 2018.
8. 30K points
On Jan. 23, 2018, James became the youngest player to reach 30,000 points.
9. Getting closer to scoring record
On Feb. 18, 2021, James joined Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with 35,000 or more points, reaching that number faster and younger than the other two players.
10. James sets another record, this time in an All-Star Game
In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, at the age of 21, James became the youngest player in NBA history to win an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award. James dropped 29 points, six rebounds and two assists in a 122-120 Eastern Conference victory. James would go on to win the award two more times (2008 and 2018), tying for second most all-time with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Oscar Robertson.
11. No. 1 all-time leading scorer in NBA history
12. Big screen debut
In July 2015, James made his movie debut in ‘Trainwreck’ starring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. James plays himself and received praise for his role as the friend of Hader’s character.
13. Twenty-five straight
In his first Eastern Conference finals appearance, in a pivotal Game 5 on the road against the Pistons with the series tied at two games apiece, James went off with a 48-point outburst. But what was most impressive was how he finished the game. It went to double overtime, and it was James who willed the Cavs; from the final 2:17 of regulation and through the 10 combined minutes of the pair of overtimes, James scored the Cavaliers’ final 25 points. Cleveland won, 109-107, in a massive result that set up its Game 6 victory and a trip to James’ first NBA Finals.
14. 40,000 and counting
On March 2, 2024, James’ layup against the Denver Nuggets gave him 40,000 career points, making him the first player to hit the 40,000 mark as he continues to make it more difficult to break his all-time scoring record.
15. James’ historic MVP run
James almost certainly will trail Michael Jordan and Bill Russell for most career Most Valuable Player awards (five), but James had a near-unprecedented run from 2008 until 2013. James won the NBA MVP award four times in five seasons, joining Russell as the only players to do so.
16. ‘The Decision’
Though he would later say he regretted the way he handled his televised announcement that he’d be leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, James infamously said “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” on July 8, 2010. While James has faced some criticism for the announcement, it took place at a Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, and generated around $4 million for charity.
17. James makes his debut with the Heat
On Oct. 26, 2010, James made his Heat debut in a loss against the Celtics, scoring 31 points, with four rebounds, three assists and eight turnovers.
18. Scoring, rebounding and passing
Shortly after reaching 40,000 points, James recorded his 11,000th assist on April 14, 2024, and he became the first player with 40,000 points, 11,000 rebounds and 11,000 assists. Whoever joins James in that category someday probably isn’t even in the NBA yet.
19. James leads Lakers to bubble title
To win a championship in the Orlando bubble during COVID in 2020, it was agreed mental toughness was a key component. James and the Lakers had it. The Lakers won their 17th title and James won his fourth ring, in addition to his fourth Finals MVP, in a six-game series against Miami. James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and shot 59.1% from the field and had a triple-double (28 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) in the series finale.
20. A 50-point Finals performance
James scored 51 points against Golden State in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals – and the Cavs lost 124-114 in overtime. Just seven players have scored at least 50 in a Finals game and James is the only player to lose. James’ frustration was at an all-time high after the game in which J.R. Smith seemingly tried to run out the clock in regulation with the score tied.
21. Dropping 50 at the Garden
James has 14 games with 50 or more points and all but three were on the road, and the Knicks were the recipient of two of those 50-point games at Madison Square Garden. He had 50 points at MSG on March 5, 2008, and had 52 at MSG on Feb. 4, 2009.
22. James, Heat rip off historic 27-game win streak
From early February to late March in 2013, James helped lead the Heat on a 27-game winning streak that ended up as the third-longest in NBA history, behind the Golden State Warriors (28 games; twice, in 2014-15 and 2015-16) and the Los Angeles Lakers (33 games; 1971-72). During the streak, James averaged 27 points per game.
23. We Want Justice
A few days before the winning streak would end, James posted a photo to his Twitter account of the entire Heat team wearing hooded sweatshirts and looking down, in homage to Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old unarmed Florida teen who was shot to death by a neighborhood crime-watch volunteer. James posted the photo alongside the hashtags: “#WeAreTrayvonMartin #Hoodies #Stereotyped #WeWantJustice.” This would be a pivotal moment for James as an outspoken advocate for social justice causes.
24. Passing Kobe on scoring list
James passed Kobe Bryant for No. 3 on the all-time scoring list on Jan. 25, 2020 in Philadelphia, and following the game James recalled meeting with Bryant when James was in high school. The next day, Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in California.
25. James wills Heat in iconic Game 6 performance vs. Celtics
In the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, the Heat were facing elimination on the road, down 3-2. This was coming one year after the Heat lost to the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, and James and the Big Three were facing criticism over a lack of results. James set the tone early on with a fierce, intentional, efficient performance, attacking the rim and going 12-of-14 from the field in the first half. He finished the game with 45 points and 15 boards on a 19-of-26 (73.1%) day from the floor. The Heat would go on to pull away in the fourth quarter of Game 7 to take the series.
26. James wins first NBA title
The Heat overpowered the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in 2012, and James won his first career NBA championship and his first NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after he averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the series.
27. ‘For 3 for the win …’
In Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals against the Magic, after Orlando upset Cleveland to take the first game at home, James rattled in a 3-point shot over Hedo Türkoğlu at the buzzer to win the game. The Cavs, however, lost the series 4-2.
28. James launches school in Akron
The LeBron James Family Foundation in the summer of 2018 opened the I Promise School in conjunction with Akron Public Schools to “help some of Akron’s most challenged students with education and support (and) provide educational, career and emotional support for parents.’
29. An amazing double-digit scoring streak
The last time LeBron James scored less than 10 points in a game was Jan. 5, 2007. Since then, starting with 19 points against the New Jersey Nets on Jan. 6, 2007, he has scored at least 10 in 1,250 consecutive games. Michael Jordan is second on the list at 866. The next longest active streak is 207 games by Kevin Durant. It’s another one of James’ records that won’t be broken for a long time.
30. The rim-shattering dunks
Throughout his career James has become known for some of the most powerful dunks, like his very first one, this one, this one, and most definitely this one. Or, just watch a compilation like the one below.
31. Paris gold
James won his third gold medal and was named MVP at the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 assists and 8.2 rebounds with a triple-double (16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in the semifinals vs. Serbia and double-double (14 points, 10 assists) vs. France in the gold-medal game.
32. Historical father-son NBA combo
33. Multi-media entrepreneur
James founded with business partner Maverick Carter a media company, now called Springhill Company, that launched in 2014 and has expanded into the world of documentaries, talk shows and podcasts.
34. James loses his headband, takes control in Game 6 against Spurs
This 2013 Finals game will go down as the one Ray Allen tied with a miracle 3 in the final seconds, but James dominated the fourth quarter to keep Miami competitive. It just so happened that a trademark James scoring outburst happened after he lost his headband on an alley-oop dunk when a Spurs defender swiped at him. James had 15 points in the fourth quarter, 11 of which came after he lost the headband.
35. James wins his second NBA title, second Finals MVP
James dropped 37 and 12 in Game 7, clinching Miami’s second (and eventually final) title in the James era. He also won his second NBA Finals MVP after averaging 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and seven assists in the series.
36. Supporting democracy
In June 2020, James – and other Black athletes and entertainers – started More Than A Vote to ensure voting rights for African-Americans. “This is the time for us to finally make a difference,” James told The New York Times.
37. A most reliable scorer
James now has 1,512 games with at least 10 points, and he passed Abdul-Jabbar earlier this season as the all-time leader for games with 10 or more points. Of James’ 1,520 career regular-season games, he has scored less than 10 points just eight times.
38. LeBron goes off for 61
On March 3, 2014, in what would be his final months with the Heat, James erupted for a still-career high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. James went 22-of-33 from the field (66.7%), including an absurd 8-of-10 from 3-point range. The Heat won 127-107.
39. Putting in the time
In 20-plus years in the NBA, a player will log significant minutes. Earlier this month, James passed Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader in minutes played. James (57,578 minutes) is one of seven players to hit 50,000 minutes played and is on pace to become the first to hit 58,000 minutes. James has another 11,858 minutes when the playoffs are included.
40. The gift that keeps on giving
On Dec. 25 this season, James became the all-time leader in Christmas victories with 11, breaking a tie with his former teammate and friend Dwyane Wade, and extended his record for most points on Christmas to 507 – ahead of Kobe Bryant’s 395.