10 Worst NBA Performances Of LeBron James’ Career

LeBron James is currently playing his 21st NBA season. He has had an illustrious career in the league with his excellent performances in both the regular season and playoffs. He displayed great basketball skills and gained immense popularity due to his amazing talent. But there have been some games when it was not his day and he didn’t perform well. No matter which sport, no player is totally perfect and certainly not invincible. In this article, we will have a look at the 10 worst games of LeBron’s NBA career. 

10) Vs. San Antonio Spurs (June 7, 2007)

During this game, Lebron James played for 44 minutes against the Spurs, who had Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. He scored only 14 points, 7 rebounds, and four assists in that game. Because the best player gave this disappointing performance, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost the first game of the 2006–2007 NBA Finals, which the Spurs won and claimed the title. 

9) Vs. Los Angeles Clippers (February 7, 2007)

On February 7, 2007, Cavaliers fans had to witness one of the worst performances by their best player. LeBron spent 36 minutes on the court and scored just 11 points overall. He managed to grab seven rebounds, two turnovers, only three assists and a terrible 30.8 field goal percentage. He went pointless in the third quarter. However, the good thing was that the Cleveland Cavaliers won that match over the Los Angeles Clippers 94-77. 

8) Vs. Boston Celtics (May 6, 2008)

In 2008, the Boston Celtics had a very strong defense that was led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins. This defense managed to hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense, especially “King James,” who was limited to only 12 points with a goal percentage of just 0.111%, including zero of six three-pointers. Despite grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists, James had 10 turnovers in the game, which was truly disastrous for an NBA player like him. 

7) Vs. Toronto Raptors (February 08, 2005)

In 2005, Lebron made only six of 19 shots from the field in 36 minutes during the game against the Toronto Raptors. The performance of not only one player but every member of the team is also important. For that reason, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Phoenix Suns 101-120. It was a bizarre performance from the Cavaliers’ best player, who finished the game with 15 points, three rebounds, six assists and six turnovers. 

6) Vs. Boston Celtics (May 11, 2010)

On May 11, 2010, the 2009–10 runner up  Boston Celtics faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Celtics won the game 120-88, with Paul Pierce leading the team. LeBron James had a bizarre performance that night, with just 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three turnovers for a 21.4% field goal percentage. 

5) Vs. Washington Wizards (December 16, 2018)

On December 18, 2018, LeBron James gave one of the worst performances in a Lakers uniform during a game against the Washington Wizards. James was on the court for 32 minutes but managed to score only 13 points, making just five baskets off 16 shots from the field. Along with 13 points, he grabbed six rebounds and three assists. Ultimately, the Wizards won the game 128–110. 

4) Vs. Boston Celtics (May 21, 2017)

During the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers easily dominated the Boston Celtics in five games. The only game the Cavaliers lost was the one they played at home, in which their star player, “The L-Train,” underperformed and managed to score just 11 points. LeBron missed all four of his three-point attempts but managed to grab six rebounds, six assists and six turnovers. The Cavaliers lost the game 111-108. 

3) Vs. Los Angeles Clippers (February 6, 2011)

LeBron is arguably the best player in the Miami Heat franchise. Even though “The Akron Hammer” played only four seasons with the Heat, he led the team to two NBA titles. However, one of the most disastrous performances of James’ career also came during his stint with the Heat. On February 6, 2011, he recorded only 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the game against the LA Clippers. Miami eventually lost the game 97-79. 

2) Vs. Dallas Mavericks (October 31, 2007)

The 2007–08 NBA season did not start well for LeBron James. When James was playing against Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks, he gave a very poor performance in his first official game of the campaign, scoring only 10 points with five rebounds, four assists and five turnovers. He shot only 2 of 1 from the field. Eventually, the Mavericks won the game 92-74. However, this performance meant nothing because James won the scoring title that season. 

1) Vs. Detroit Pistons (November 28, 2003) 

The worst performance of James’ career came in his 16th professional game. While facing the Detroit Pistons on November 28, 2003, the 19-year-old James recorded only six points, with two rebounds, seven assists and four turnovers in 36 minutes. That terrible performance is definitely something LeBron will want to forget now. However, the interesting thing was that the very next game, he recorded 33 points and 16 rebounds. 

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