King James Gospel
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Cavs: Big Z joins LeBron James on Cavaliers’ All-2000s team

By Josh Cornelissen

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images /
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LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo credit JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images /

Cleveland Cavaliers All-2000s Team – G: LeBron James

LeBron James showing up on this list should be a surprise to no one, and it’s also perfectly reasonable to slot him in on the guard line. He entered the league playing the 2 as a rookie, and plays so often with the ball in his hands that calling him a point guard is a reasonable description of his offensive role.

Wherever you put him, James was incredibly fun to watch and scary to play during the peak of his athletic prime. Entering the league straight out of high school, James won Rookie of the Year in a hotly contested race between he and Carmel Anthony. He made the All-Star team and an All-NBA team the following season as a 20 year-old, and every season after that for his current 17-year streak of being an All-Star and an All-NBA selection.

James’ first MVP award came in the last season of this decade, as he averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for a 66 win Cavs team, winning the award over Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. He helped to turn the entire franchise around, lifting them from laughingstock to NBA Finals representatives in just a few years.

The Cavs would not win a title until his second stint with the franchise, but James did everything he could to propel them in that direction. Across James’ last nine seasons with the franchise he has won at least one series in every one, including four times to close out this decade. His 12.4 postseason win shares in this span are more than the next three players combined. He was everything to this team, which made it all the more heart-wrenching when he left just a season later.