LeBron James was born 35 years ago today. Throughout his three-and-a-half decades on earth, James has appeared in an NBA game seven times on his birthday. During those seven games, he’s averaged 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists. There were two games–in 2014 and 2018–where his team played on his birthday but James was inactive due to injury.
After defeating the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers will not play against until New Years Day against the Phoenix Suns. But to celebrate LeBron’s birthday in the meantime, we’ve ranked the best born day performances of his career.
No. 7: December 30, 2003 (19 year-old birthday)
LeBron Stats: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
The day LeBron James turned 19 years old he recorded a double-double against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. James finished his first birthday extravaganza with the Cleveland Cavaliers by pouring in 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. His scoring total was a game-high as Jermaine O’Neal paced Indiana with 21. But James and the Cavaliers would lose by three despite 17 points and 11 rebounds in support of the King from a young Carlos Boozer.
No. 6: December 30, 2013 (29 year-old birthday)
LeBron Stats: 26 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds
LeBron James has turned in one monster performance after another on his birthday. That’s why a 26-point, 10-assist effort during a three-point win on the road qualifies as his sixth-best born day performance. In a matchup with the Denver Nuggets, James shot 53% from the field while helping his Miami Heat to a 97-94 win. Chris Bosh shot 8-of-12 to score 17 points for Miami in the victory while Ty Lawson added 26 for Denver in defeat.