The ballots for the first round have been cast, and now we move to the second round of our “LeBron’s Greatest Season” bracket.
The results were mostly true to form by seeding, with a couple notable exceptions. The No. 12 seed, 2015-16, bounced the No. 5 seed, 2005-06 – perhaps fans were sentimental about the Cavs’ earning the top seed in the East on their way to the NBA title. Also, the No. 11 seed, 2011-12, eliminated the No. 6 seed, 2004-05 – as fans opted for the Miami era over his sophomore emergence.
The season in which LeBron won his only NBA scoring title, No. 4 seed 2007-08, squeaked by No. 13 seed 2016-17 by a single vote.
Again, a bit about our methodology: Like the NBA MVP award, postseason is not included – otherwise, there wouldn’t be much suspense. Seedings are ranked by win shares, as determined by basketball-reference. The suspended 2019-20 season is not included, as we all remain optimistic it will resume at some point.
On to the second round. Cast your votes and check back Monday, April 20, shortly after noon ET for the semifinals.
Second round: April 16 – April 20 (noon ET)
Semifinals: April 20 – April 23 (noon ET)
Finals: April 23 – April 26 (noon ET)
Round 2: 1) 2008-09 vs. 9) 2013-14
No. 1 seed: 2008-09 season – Cavaliers
| G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 81 | 37.7 | 28.4 | 7.6 | 7.2 |
LeBron earned his first MVP award while leading the Cavaliers to a franchise-record 66 victories. A year after winning the NBA scoring title, he finished second in that category to future teammate Dwyane Wade (30.2 ppg). LeBron led the NBA with 594 free throws made and won conference Player of the Week honors seven times – a single-season league record that still stands.
No. 9 seed: 2013-14 season – Heat
| G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 77 | 37.7 | 27.1 | 6.9 | 6.3 |
In LeBron’s final season with the Heat, he ranked second in the league in field goals (767), third in points (2,089) and third in points per game despite attempting a career-low 17.6 field goals per game. All that was possible because he shot a career-best 56.7% from the field, and his 27.1 points per game was his best average during four seasons with the Heat.
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