LeBron JamesRonald Martinez/Getty Images
Four-Time NBA Champion, Four-Time Finals MVP
3rd in Career Playoff Box Plus/Minus
Let’s talk about longevity for a moment. LeBron is still active, and he already has a stranglehold on some cumulative records that are hard to imagine ever being broken.
Wins over replacement player (value over replacement player times 2.7) is the cumulative version of box plus/minus. LeBron has 97.5, which is over 30 clear of second-place Michael Jordan. He’s over 2,000 clear of second-place Jordan in playoff points. He’s over 2,000 minutes clear of second-place Duncan.
He has 153 career playoff games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Second-place Jordan (73) and third-place Bird (53) combined for 126.
And it’s not like he’s slowing down in some dramatic fashion. Just this year, LeBron’s age-39 campaign, he averaged 27.8 points, 8.8 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in the playoffs.
It’s not like LeBron’s argument to top this list is entirely based on longevity, either. His 17.5 box plus/minus in 2008-09 is the highest on record for a postseason with at least 100 minutes.
He also has 10 postseasons with at least 100 minutes and a 10-plus box plus/minus, which is two more than second-place Jordan.
And even with almost a decade of post-prime basketball behind him, LeBron has career playoff averages of 28.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Having him second on this list is far from definitive. If you want to bump him up one spot, I won’t fight you too hard on it. His resume has become genuinely absurd, but Jordan still has the edge.
