National Basketball Association

Cleveland, Miami or L.A. — which version of LeBron is best?

Published Jul. 12, 2022 9:54 a.m. ET

LeBron James has played for three NBA franchises — Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers — and success has followed him to each stop along the way.

But which version of James has been the best?

On Monday's "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless took to the desk to figure out which version of King James was the most kingly, and Bayless landed on the LeBron who went back to Cleveland from 2015-18.

"The greatest I ever saw LeBron was in 2015, his first year back in Cleveland, against Golden State in the Finals," said Bayless. "I’ve never seen anything like it. … To me, the best stretch of his career was 2015 and 2016, Cleveland the second time."

Which is the best version of LeBron: Cleveland, Miami, or L.A.?

Social media has been debating which version of LeBron is the best between his two separate stints in Cleveland, his time in Miami, and his current tenure in Los Angeles. Skip and Shannon decide.

In his two stints in Cleveland (2004-10, 2015-18), James averaged 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He was the NBA scoring champion in 2008, won NBA MVP in 2009 and 2010, was the 2016 NBA Finals MVP, was first-team All-Defense in 2009 and 2010, and was first-team All-NBA in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

During his Cleveland tenures, he won a single title, in 2016.

For Sharpe, James was his best at his second stop.

"He was at the peak of his powers [in Miami]. He could sit in a chair. He could guard one through five, and we saw him do it on a number of occasions. … So for me, I’m gonna take Miami LeBron because I think he was at the peak of his offensive and defensive powers."

While his stay in South Beach was short (2011-14), James made the most of it. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in four seasons. He won NBA MVP and Finals MVP in both 2012 and in 2013, winning titles in both years. He was first-team All-Defense from 2011-13, and was first-team All-NBA in all four Miami seasons.

Currently, James is entering his fifth season with the Lakers, and he has so far had a roller coaster of an experience.

James is averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists in L.A. He won a title in 2020 and was named Finals MVP. That season he was also first-team All-NBA. But the Lakers have made the playoffs only twice in James' four years in town.