Former Pacers Player Claims LeBron James Kept Him from Winning a Title

The former Pacers player believes he should have won a championship in Indiana.

Apr 15, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have their best chance to win a championship in over a decade. They have made the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in a row.

The last time they did that was back in the Paul George era in 2013 and 2014. In both of those years, the Pacers looked like they had a chance to win a championship.

Unfortunately for them, LeBron James was in the Eastern Conference at that time. He was with the Miami Heat during that time and beat the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals both seasons.

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James not only kept the Pacers from winning a title that season, but also in 2018 when the Cavaliers beat the Pacers in seven games. Quite frankly, he was a thorn in their side for quite a while.

George was the best player on those Pacers teams. He claimed on The Pivot that he would have won a championship ring with Indiana had James not been in the East.

Paul George says he might have a ring if there were no LeBron James:

“Had there not been a LeBron James… sh** I might’ve had one in Indiana.”

pic.twitter.com/55SJGjGGIu

— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) May 14, 2025

"I'm thinking about it the other day. Had there not been a LeBron James, s--- I might've had one. Had we not played LeBron James, or if there was no LeBron James, we might have had one in Indiana. I felt like I was the guy in the East. We played Carmelo. Got Carmelo out of there, shout out Melo. Played a tough Wizards team with John and Bradley Beal. Nobody could come through us. Atlanta was a stacked team. Nobody could go through us.

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Indiana was certainly a tough team when George was the best player on the squad. They pushed the Heat to seven games in 2013 and lost to them in six in 2014.

George is still in pursuit of his first championship ring. Meanwhile, the Pacers have a real chance to win the title this year with Tyrese Haliburton leading the team.

If Haliburton and the Pacers are able to win a championship this year, they will become the greatest Pacers team of all time. That's what George was chasing a decade ago while he was in Indy.

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