Paul George Believes He Would Have Won Title With Pacers If LeBron James Didn’t Exist

George and the Pacers lost to James and the Heat in the second round of the 2012 playoffs and the conference finals in 2013 and 2014. 

George and Indiana also lost to James and Cleveland in the first round of the 2017 playoffs. 

James is a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP. He has played for the Cavaliers (twice), Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. The Akron native became the leading scorer in NBA history in 2023, passing NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

The 40-year-old James went to eight straight NBA Finals in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The King won the title in 2012, 2013 and 2016. 

James captured his fourth ring and fourth Finals MVP in 2020 with the Lakers at the Walt Disney World bubble. Los Angeles beat James’ old team, Miami. 

A 21-time All-Star, James is arguably the best player in NBA history. He has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists. 

James is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists. He’s also the lone player to score 40,000 points in the regular season and 50,000 points combining the regular season and postseason. 

James has a player option to return to the Lakers next season. He’s not expected to retire this summer, but some believe the forward should leave Los Angeles and return to Cleveland, the city where his NBA career began.