Inside The Heat

LeBron James' Early Exit Keeps Miami Heat Tenure Atop The List

Shandel Richardson|
Jan 10, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and shooting guard Dwyane Wade (suit) look on against the Brooklyn Nets during the second overtime at Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Nets won the game 104-95 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Jan 10, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and shooting guard Dwyane Wade (suit) look on against the Brooklyn Nets during the second overtime at Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Nets won the game 104-95 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

LeBron James was in position to top his four seasons with the Miami Heat.

And then it changed with Wednesday's season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. James and the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing the series in five games. Some picked them to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals after the midseason acquisition of Luka Doncic.

The loss means James' years with the Heat from 2010-14 remain the best of his career. He teamed with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win two titles in four straight trips to the Finals. James also won two of his four MVPs in Miami.

That trumps every stop of his career. He failed to win a title during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Heat. After leaving Miami, he won just one title in his return to Cleveland. James won a championship in 2020 with the Lakers but the rest of his tenure has been disappointment.

With James uncertain about how long he continues playing and aging, this may have been the best opportunity to match his success with the Heat. The fact he was unable to win multiple titles with Doncic and Anthony Davis proves just how impressive those four years were in Miami.

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here