LeBron James' Playoff Record: Individual Performances & Top Moments

Nate Cunningham | Apr 18, 2025

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates the victory against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a third-place finish in the Western conference and now all eyes turn towards the playoffs.

At this point, there's really nothing to say about James that hasn't already been said, tweeted, posted, etc. He is either the best or second-best player in the history of basketball. His list of accomplishments is absurd, his trophy case is as big as a garage and his goal is to win another championship.

So let's take a look back at the playoff history of one King James.

LeBron James' Overall Playoff Career Summary

James is 183-104 in the playoffs in his career, with four NBA championships (2012, 2013, 2016 and 2020). He leads all players with 8,162 points scored in the playoffs, is fourth in rebounds with 2,583, second in assists with 2,067, first in blocks with 483 and 10th in blocks with 275.

Have you picked up on the sheer absurdity of this yet?

James, love him or hate him, is more than just a special player. He's one-of-a-kind.

In fact, his 184 playoff victories rank him ninth all-time... among franchises. That's right, James has more playoff victories than two-thirds of NBA franchises have had in their entire existences. There are plenty of neat, eyebrow-raising statistics you can dig up about the NBA, but for my money, none of them will top that.

James trails just the Los Angeles Lakers (467), Boston Celtics (423), Philadelphia 76ers (251), San Antonio Spurs (222), Golden State Warriors (212), New York Knicks (200), Detroit Pistons (189) and Chicago Bulls (187).

Top Five: The Best LeBron James Postseason Moments

2007 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit (Game 5)

James was pretty good throughout this entire series, but went absolutely bonkers in Game 5. With 2:22 left in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers trailed the Pistons 88-84. James then went on to score 25 straight points for Cleveland throughout the rest of regulation and two overtime periods, securing the victory. He finished with 48 points.

2013 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio (Game 7)

This was James' first-ever Game 7 in the NBA Finals and he was attempting to secure back-to-back titles for Miami. So, there was plenty of pressure. James had struggled from the three-point line throughout the series, so the Spurs opted to leave him open as a defensive strategy. James responded by shooting 50% from deep in the game, winning another title and the Finals MVP award.

2012 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Boston (Game 6)

Facing a 3-2 deficit against the Celtics, James exploded to even the series. He scored 30 of Cleveland's first 55 points and finished with 45 points and 15 rebounds. James has talked at length on different programs over the years about the importance of this game and series, along with his dislike of playing in front of Boston crowds.

2016 NBA Finals vs. Golden State (Game 6)

Entering this night, the narrative was pretty simple. This game was the biggest in franchise history for the Cavaliers. With his back against the wall against the greatest regular-season team in NBA history, James wouldn't be denied. He scored 41 points and forced a Game 7, which we'll get to now.

2016 NBA Finals vs. Golden State (Game 7)

Tied at 89 points, Golden State's Andre Iguodala secured a rebound and started a fast break with Curry. Curry received Iggy's pass and chucked a bounce pass right back to him. Iguodala went for a layup, only for James to come from out of nowhere to reject the shot. It's one of the most iconic plays in postseason basketball history and it helped propel the Cavaliers to the 2016 championship.

Playoff Career Highs and Records

James scored a career-high 51 points during game one of the 2018 NBA Finals. It was a losing effort and he became one of just 10 players to score 50 and lose a playoff game.

James has scored 40+ points in the playoffs 29 times.

Date	Team	Opponent	Round	Points Scored
May 31, 2018	Cleveland	Golden State	NBA Finals	51
May 20, 2009	Cleveland	Orlando	ECF	49
May 12, 2014	Miami	Brooklyn	EC Semis	49
May 31, 2007	Cleveland	Detroit	ECF	48
May 9, 2009	Cleveland	Atlanta	EC Semis	47
April 18, 2018	Cleveland	Indiana	R1	46
May 25, 2018	Cleveland	Boston	ECF	46
May 3, 2006	Cleveland	Washington	R1	45
May 18, 2008	Cleveland	Boston	EC Semis	45
June 7, 2012	Miami	Boston	ECF	45
April 29, 2018	Cleveland	Indiana	R1	45