The 2024-25 season has started exceptionally well for LeBron James. In the season opener, he achieved a lifelong dream by sharing the court with his son, Bronny, making history as the first father-son duo in NBA history. Collectively, things have been going smoothly for the Los Angeles Lakers, with back-to-back victories against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, raising hopes for an outstanding season.
LeBron’s impressive statistic over his 21-year career suggests that whenever his team has started a season with two consecutive wins, they have advanced to the NBA Finals. This trend holds true across every team King James has played for throughout his career except for the Lakers. For now.
The first instance was during the 2006-07 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, when they opened with wins over the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs, eventually capturing their first Eastern Conference title before losing to the Spurs in the Finals.
With the Miami Heat, LeBron’s first championship season began similarly, with wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, followed by three more victories. That season, the Heat, led by the Big Three—Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron—went on to win the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks on against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Three of the 2014 NBA Finals
Return to Cleveland
During his second stint with the Cavaliers, LeBron had two seasons where the team started with back-to-back wins. In the 2016-17 season, Cleveland opened with victories against the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, later advancing to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
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The following season saw a similar outcome: the Cavaliers opened with wins over the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, eventually reaching the Finals once again, but falling to the Warriors.
A new opportunity for LeBron
The Los Angeles Lakers have completed the first step toward maintaining LeBron’s historic trend, starting the 2024-25 season with two convincing wins at Crypto.com Arena. Now, it will be up to the team’s stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, along with head coach JJ Redick, to sustain this momentum and carry it throughout the season, positioning themselves as serious contenders in the Western Conference.
