Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

LeBron James Believes His Old Team Has Most Pressure in the NBA

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Looking at one of his former teams, the Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James believes that the Cleveland Cavaliers are loaded with pressure heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season.

In fact, he would argue that he believes they have the most pressure in the NBA currently.

“I think they're under the most pressure of any team coming into the season,” James said on the latest episode of ‘Mind the Game’ with Steve Nash.

“I think it's pressure from within,” James added. “I think they saw the success they had last year and how well they play, they play a great style of basketball. … I feel like they're putting pressure on themselves to make the next jump. They're probably looking at like it could have been us versus OKC in the Finals.’”

The Cavaliers have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference after they bounced back in the post-LeBron era. Led by Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers ended the 2024-2025 NBA season as the No. 1 team in the East with a 64-18 record.

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers’ playoff struggles persisted. In the first round, the Cavaliers found success against the Miami Heat, who squeezed their way into the playoffs in the post-Jimmy Butler era.

When they matched up with the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs couldn’t find success. Indiana ended up winning the entire Eastern Conference before coming up short against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Still, that doesn’t help ease the Cavs’ minds.

The Cavaliers have kept their core group together heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season. The expectations remain sky-high for that organization, as they are looking to make a championship run for the first time since LeBron left for the Lakers.

The 2017-2018 season was the final time the Cavs made a trip to the NBA Finals. That year, they came up short against the dominant Golden State Warriors for the second season in a row. While Golden State prevented the Cavs from winning in 2017 and 2018, Cleveland managed to get one during the 2016 NBA Playoffs. That year was the famous 3-1 comeback for Cleveland.

Many view the East as wide open heading into the new hoops year. Considering the Cavs found success during the regular season over the past few years, they are expected to take the next jump. Perhaps key absences across the conference for the year will help the Cavs get over the hump. The pressure will be high, but as LeBron suggests, a lot of it might be coming from within anyway.