LeBron James Gave a Brutally Honest Take on his 2011 NBA Finals Loss

LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time, depending on who you ask. The Akron, Ohio native came into the NBA with an absurd amount of hype out of high school, and he somehow exceeded all of it.

James has played with three teams in his career in four separate stints. And in each of these stints, the transcendent small forward has put together a Hall of Fame resume.

But LeBron’s decorated career still has had several low moments where there was serious doubt about where he was going to stand in the all-time pecking order. That trepidation may have peaked in the 2011 NBA Finals.

James made the controversial decision to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. Now having a roster with three superstars in their prime, Miami was expected to dominate the NBA for years to come.

And LeBron added fuel to the fire when he made the “not five, not six, not seven,” comment on how many titles he wanted to win with the Heat.

Nevertheless James’ chase for his first ring had to wait another year after a crushing Finals defeat to the underdog Dallas Mavericks. LeBron famously struggled in this 2-4 series loss.

The four-time MVP has commented several times on this time in his career, but once he made a particularly noteworthy statement on how things went wrong during those two weeks in June.

LeBron James fully owned up to his 2011 Finals performance

In an interview with Chris Broussard, James was asked to respond whether he thought he “froze” during the 2011 Finals. Broussard got a brutally honest response.

LeBron James went on to become a legendary NBA Finals performer

Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

While LeBron had a quick reflection on this time in his career, it’s clear that this was a beneficial learning experience for him. The Dallas Mavericks gave the Miami Heat a necessary reality check on the difficulties of winning just one NBA championship.

While talent is necessary, LeBron knew that he had to install a more fearless mindset to win his first ring. He subsequently did just that the next year against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James continued to play with this relentless aggression going forward in his career, and had plenty of time to prove himself in the Finals, making this stage ten total times.

The highlight of LeBron’s career was in 2016, where he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA championship. The Cavs came back from an unprecedented 3-1 deficit to beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in one of the most dramatic series ever.

Close to a decade later, James has four career championships, including one with his current team, the L.A. Lakers Even at 40-years-old, LeBron still has a chance to contend for another title this coming season.

The Lakers completely changed their championship window after pulling off a blockbuster trade for superstar point guard Luka Doncic.

The future Hall of Fame point guard is just 26-years-old and has slimmed down this offseason with the goal of bouncing back from a tough performance in last year’s playoffs.

Doncic can take away some of the lessons LeBron learned early in his career, but it still won’t be easy to contend in a loaded Western Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to be the league’s next dynasty, while contenders like the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets have made some major additions this offseason.

Then there’s the shadow of the Dallas Mavericks, who lucked into the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft and selected Cooper Flagg.

The Lakers have made some moves in free agency this summer, but James and Doncic will have to carry the load for this historic franchise to contend once again.