LeBron James reflects on 2007 Cavs roster that he took to NBA Finals: ‘How is that possible?’

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently reflected on the 2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers and their trip to the NBA Finals.

James was the driving force for Cleveland that season, as he averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from 3.

The Cavs really didn’t have another star on the roster, as their second-leading scorer that season was guard Larry Hughes, who averaged just 14.9 points per game.

Big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a two-time All-Star during his career, was part of the 2006-07 team, but his All-Star years came before the Cavs made that NBA Finals run.

While the Cavs did make it out of the Eastern Conference that season, they were swept in the Finals by the San Antonio Spurs.

It’s possible that weak supporting casts like the one James had in the 2006-07 season were a big reason why he left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat. James was able to team up with stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, and he led the Heat to four straight NBA Finals appearances and two NBA titles.

The Cavs seemed to learn their lesson after James’ departure, as they built an attractive team that he ultimately returned to, headlined by star Kyrie Irving.

James signed back with Cleveland in free agency ahead of the 2014-15 season, and the Cavs traded for star Kevin Love to bolster their cast around James. That paid off, as the Cavs went on to reach the NBA Finals in four straight seasons, winning a title in the 2015-16 campaign.

For fans who have wondered how James brought the 2006-07 team to the Finals, it’s certainly cool to see that he is also shocked by the feat.

Even though that trip to the Finals was almost 20 years ago, James is still playing at an elite level in the NBA today.

Despite turning 40 during the 2024-25 campaign, James has been dominant this season, averaging 24.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. He was named to the All-Star Game once again and currently has the Lakers in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference.

James won a title with the Lakers in the 2019-20 season, and he’d love to add another ring to his resume this season. The Lakers have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but they needed to go through the play-in tournament to get there both times.

Hopefully, James can lead Los Angeles to a higher seed when the regular season comes to an end this April.