5 Worst LeBron James performances since 2010

Without a doubt, LeBron James is the greatest player of his era and one of the greatest players of all time. Whether you like him or not, you have to appreciate what he has done both on and off the court for the game of basketball.

James has racked up 3 championships, 4 MVP awards, 15 All-Star game appearances, 3 All-Star Game MVP awards and a Rookie of the Year award. Not to mention the many times he has made the All-NBA teams. This dominance over the last few years has earned him the nickname "King".

There have, however, been several occasions where the King has flattered to deceive. Here are LeBron's 5 worst performances since 2010, ranked according to stat line and importance of the game.

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#5 Lakers vs Wizards - 17 December 2018

LeBron James vs Jabari Parker

Just 30 games into the season and with a record of 18-12, the LeBron-led Lakers needed to get a win and make a statement. The 2018-19 season started off much rougher than anyone had expected and many were beginning to doubt the new look Lakers.

The last person you would expect to underperform in a situation like this is LeBron James. James finished the game with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers. Being someone who has been in many high pressure situations before, no one expected this sort of a performance from James.

James struggled to find his shot the entire game, going just 5-16 from the field and 3-6 from the free throw line. The Lakers' leader did not have energy and looked dejected from the get-go. This lack of energy translated onto the rest of team as the Lakers lost 110-128 to the Wizards, who were led by a 40-point performance from John Wall.

The highest scoring Laker came from the bench in the form of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who had a team-high 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

#4 Cavaliers vs Celtics, Eastern Conference Finals - 21 May 2017

LeBron James

James was powering through the 2017 playoffs. He put up multiple 30+ point performances as the Cavs made a deep run to get to the finals. This streak of impressive performances, however, came to an abrupt end against the Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics were playing without their all-star Isaiah Thomas who had carried them throughout the season and the playoffs, and many expected James and the Cavaliers to make full use of this opportunity to move even closer to the finals.

This did not end up being the case as LeBron James finished the game with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 turnovers. He did not look his usual self the entire game and shot only 4-13 from the field. His lack of aggressiveness was picked up by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love who kept the Cavs in the game with 29 and 28 points respectively. The Cs ran out as eventual winners with a scoreline of 111-108.

#3 Heat vs Mavericks, NBA Finals - 9 June 2011

LeBron James takes a breather

Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals was a pivotal one. The star-studded Heat and the Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki were locked in a series tied apiece at 2-2 and the winner of Game 5 would have the momentum going into what could possibly be a deciding Game 6.

James was coming off one of the worst performances in his career (which will feature later on this list). Many expected him to put on a show and to be aggressive in order to regain control of the series. James finished the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 turnovers.

While a triple-double such as this is impressive in its own right, much more was needed from the then-reigning MVP. James was not his usual cutting and attacking self and limited himself to a few jumpers, going 8-19 from the field and getting to the free-throw line just twice. The Heat lost the game 103-112 to the Mavericks and would go on to lose Game 6 and the NBA Finals.

#2 Heat vs Pacers, Eastern Conference Finals - 28 May 2014

LeBron James drives against the Pacers

By the time the 2013-14 season came around, the Miami Heat was a regular name in the playoffs and everyone had gotten used to the show that LeBron James and his teammates put on for them every night. This, however, was not the case in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

The Heat were up 3-1 and were in a great position to close out the series. Coming in with 3 straight wins against the Pacers, the momentum was in the Heat's favor. Despite this, LeBron James failed to make an impact in this game as the Heat lost to the Pacers.

James finished with an abysmal 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. James' teammates were left to pick up the slack to make up for his 2-10 effort from the field. The final score would be 93-90 in favor of the Pacers.

#1 Heat vs Mavericks, NBA Finals - 7 June 2011

An exhausted LeBron James

The NBA Finals are where champions are made, but this was not the case for LeBron James and the 2010-2011 Miami Heat. The Heat were up 2-1 in the series against the underdogs Mavericks and had the chance to go up 3-1. This was not the case as the Heat struggled to find their rhythm. They had only two players score in double digits and that did not include LeBron James.

James finished the game with just 8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 turnovers while shooting 3-11 from the field and 2-4 from the free-throw line. The Heat were predicted to win the championship by a landslide, but the King underperformed when the lights shined brightest.

This turned out to be the turning point in the series, as the Mavericks rode this momentum to win games 5 and 6, while the Heat struggled to recover from LeBron's lack of presence on the court that night.