LeBron James' Best Teammates Ever, Ranked
There are countless angles through which to view LeBron James' prolific, title-winning and accolade-laden career.
This season, following his team's acquisition of a then-25-year-old perennial MVP candidate, Luka Dončić, it's hard to avoid the teammates angle.
Ever since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers the first time (more on that in a bit), LeBron has shared rosters with bona fide superstars. In a couple cases, he had multiple superstar teammates.
As he gears up for his 18th playoff run (and first with Luka), we thought now would be as good a time as any to rank those teammates.
But before we do, a word on criteria. Just about any ranking in sports is going to employ a fair bit of subjectivity. That's the case here, but basic and advanced numbers (like box plus/minus and wins over replacement player) were also consulted.
It's also important to note that we're not ranking the players below on their careers. Dwyane Wade should be higher on anyone's all-time ladder than Anthony Davis, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be higher on this list.
We're ranking LeBron's teammates based on the level they reached while playing with LeBron. Accomplishments, including championships, collected as a LeBron teammate are considered, too. Performance shortly before or after joining James may have some impact, but it'll be minimal, at best.
And with those couple housekeeping items out of the way, let's dive right in.
The First Cleveland Stint
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Check that. We actually do have one more slight detour before we get into the list.
Any discussion of LeBron's teammates throughout his career has to at least mention his first seven seasons, all spent with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
During those years, he stacked up a league-best 165.8 wins over replacement player (value over replacement player times 2.7). The 70 (yes, 70) total teammates he had in Cleveland over that span combined for 82.1.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the only Cavalier who even eclipsed 20 during those years (and he barely did it). Mo Williams, Carlos Boozer and even Anderson Varejao had their moments. If you recall, Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison also had stints there.
But no one really pushed Cleveland toward contention, outside of LeBron, which surely motivated some of his career choices from The Decision to now.
To Be Determined: Luka Doncic
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There's one bit of the criteria listed in the intro—accomplishments or championships with LeBron—holding Luka back. And all he needs to change that, really, is time.
These two have played together for just over two months. And they've yet to appear in the playoffs as teammates. We don't know, at least not for certain, what heights they'll reach as a duo.
If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be hard to justify Dončić occupying the top spot here.
Despite turning 26 in February, Luka is already one of the absolute best scorers and playmakers in NBA history. He's third all time in career points per game and second in career playoff points per game. This season is likely to be his first under 8.0 assists since he was a rookie in 2018-19. And he's already seventh all time in total triple-doubles (when you include the playoffs).
In the short time he's been with James, he's averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
In short, no LeBron teammate was capable of the peaks Luka can get to. He's one of the best we've ever seen in three different player archetypes: a one-man offense, an alpha scorer and a lead playmaker.
If (or when) he wins a title with LeBron, he'll have a very real case to jump all the way to No. 1 on this list.
5. Kevin Love
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We'll start with a selection that may come with a hint of controversy.
During their respective seasons as LeBron teammates, Kevin Love was a better passer, outside shooter and rebounder than Chris Bosh. That sample of Love's career also tops the Bosh sample in both box plus/minus and wins over replacement player.
But Bosh was the superior defender, which we'll dive into on his slide.
For now, let's talk about Love, who was absolutely a bona fide star during his four seasons alongside LeBron.
In his final campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love put up an absurd 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.5 threes. And he was only 25 that year. He went to Cleveland as an All-NBA selection and fringe MVP candidate.
His numbers there (17.1 points, 10 rebounds and 2.1 assists) aren't quite as impressive as they were in Minnesota, but that's only because he modulated down to something closer to a role player.
His talent didn't go anywhere, though. And while Cleveland had shift his role even further in the 2016 Finals, he played a part in bringing the Cavs their first title.
4. Chris Bosh
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Like Love, Bosh came to LeBron's team with an already stout resume.
In his final season with the Toronto Raptors, he averaged 24.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks.
And, again like Love, once he joined James, Bosh willingly downgrades his role and responsibilities for the sake of team-wide cohesion.
It was obvious that LeBron and Dwyane Wade would be the first and second options, so Bosh had to find ways beyond scoring to make an impact.
Of course, that doesn't mean his offense was nonexistent. His post and mid-range game were important, and he averaged 17.3 points as a LeBron teammate.
But his most valuable contributions came on the other end of the floor, particularly when Erik Spoelstra embraced playing a little smaller.
Bosh's mobility, timing and awareness as a defender made him a high-end rim protector and one of the game's better bigs at switching onto the perimeter.
And while other teammates like Wade and Shane Battier deserve some credit for this, Bosh was the anchor for a defense that ranked sixth in the league during his four years with Miami.
3. Kyrie Irving
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Unlike Love and Bosh, for Kyrie Irving, the all-time great actually came to him.
Kyrie was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, and he had plenty of individual success before LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2014.
Over his three years prior to the homecoming, Irving averaged 20.7 points and 5.8 assists, but none of those seasons ended with playoff appearances.
As soon as LeBron arrived, we got a look at what made Kyrie so special: the competitive fire that emerged during postseason action.
Over his 52 playoff games for Cleveland, Kyrie put up 23.9 points and 2.3 threes, while shooting 41.5 percent from deep. And in the 2016 Finals, which resulted in a championship, he went up yet another level.
In that series against the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 27.1 and hit one of the great shots of all time over Stephen Curry.
As he is now, Kyrie was a wizard with the basketball during those early years of his career. He was perhaps the ultimate secondary creator of the time and one of the best we've ever seen in that role.
His ball-handling, pull-up jump shooting, opportunistic passing and willingness (at least for a while) to play off ball made him a near ideal No. 2 alongside LeBron.
2. Dwyane Wade
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This was alluded to in the intro, but Wade almost certainly had a better overall career than AD (or whatever AD's will look like by the time he's done). And even aside from that caveat, this is no easy call.
Prior to LeBron's arrival in Miami, Wade already had one championship, a Finals MVP and four top-10 finishes in regular-season MVP voting, including one top three finish in 2008-09. That season, he also secured a scoring title.
His playoff averages before joining forces with LeBron were 26.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blcoks.
In other words, in 2010, Wade was one of the absolute best players in the world was already on track to be considered an all-time great.
Then, like Love and Bosh, he adjusted his style of play to fit alongside LeBron. He focused more on defense and proved willing to attack closeouts as a secondary defender rather than isolating quite as much as he used to. He became a ball-mover and gap-filler, but he was one of the best we've ever seen in those regards.
And at times—like the 2011 Finals, when he averaged 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks—he proved he was still capable of ratcheting it up when LeBron and the Heat needed him to.
1. Anthony Davis
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Davis was a LeBron teammate for longer than anyone else listed above (in terms of both years and minutes played).
Though there are arguments for Bosh and Wade, AD's probably the best defender LeBron ever played with.
And prior to the trade that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks, it looked like he was finally ready to assume the role of lead scorer from LeBron.
This season, AD's 25.7 points as a Laker is clear of LeBron's 24.5. His usage percentage was slightly higher, too.
It's not like Davis was just now breaking out either. In his five-plus seasons with L.A., he put up 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. In the 2020 playoffs, which ended with a title, he was at 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists. That postseason, he also shot 38.3 percent from deep.
During his time with LeBron, there were plenty of reasonable gripes about AD's consistency as a jump shooter and his struggles to be available. But when he played, Davis was a dynamic defensive anchor and sometimes unstoppable interior scorer.
He didn't prove to be the heir to be LeBron's Lakers, as many once expected him to be, but he was the best No. 2 he ever had (at least for now).
