All the Kings’ Men

Every one of LeBron James’ 15 supporting casts, ranked — including the new-look 2017-18 Cavs

Brad Callas
Aug 24, 2017 · 9 min read

The ten greatest basketball players of all-time are considered to be, in some order: Jordan, Russell, Kareem, LeBron, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Duncan, Kobe, & West. Only three guys listed (Kareem, LeBron, & Wilt) played for more than one team throughout their career. Kareem and Wilt played on two and three teams during a 20 and 15-year period, respectively. Despite their longevity, both hall-of-famers’ career trajectory can be traced back to a distinct supporting cast on each of their respective teams. Kareem’s six years in Milwaukee were shared alongside Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge. During his fourteen years in Los Angeles, Kareem’s go-to running mates were Magic Johnson and James Worthy. Similarly, during Wilt’s San Francisco tenure, he was paired with Paul Arzin and Tom Gola; in Philadelphia, Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham; and in Los Angeles, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Compared to Kareem and Wilt, LeBron’s career isn’t easily identified by pronounced eras, for his supporting casts have frequently changed throughout the last fourteen years. During his first Cleveland tenure, we saw various cores, including: LeBron-Gooden-Ilgauskas, LeBron-Hughes-Ilgauskas, LeBron-Williams-West, and LeBron-Jamison-Shaq. Since then, his four and three-year stints in Miami and Cleveland, respectively, were defined by two Big 3's — LeBron-Wade-Bosh and LeBron-Kyrie-Love.

Following Tuesday’s blockbuster trade — which saw Cleveland send Kyrie to Boston, in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a draft pick — LeBron, for the umpteenth time in his career, is faced with a fresh stable of allies. In order to accurately quantify how LeBron’s new teammates measure up against his past running mates, here’s a ranking of every one of LeBron’s 15 supporting casts.

#15–2004 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Carlos Boozer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ricky Davis, Jeff McInnis, Darius Miles, Eric Williams, & Mateen Cleaves

To put the 2004 Cavs’ lackluster talent into perspective, let’s pay homage to the following three quotes LeBron’s teammates put on wax heading into his rookie year.

Boozer: “We have better players than him at his position already on our team.”

Ricky Davis: “LeBron is gonna add to what we need and just make things a little bit easier.”

Darius Miles: “I don’t think you can just bring a high school player in and really just think your team is gonna turn around like that. If he comes, he can just hop on our bandwagon, and hopefully we can do something big.”


#14–2005 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (All-Star), Drew Gooden, Jeff McInnis, Ira Newble, Anderson Varejao, Eric Snow & Robert Traylor

Drew Gooden filled in for Boozer, averaging 14.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG. Surprisingly, Ilgauskas emerged as the first Robin to LeBron’s Batman, as the Lithuanian was selected to the All-Star team by averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 2.1 BPG.


#13–2006 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ronald Murray, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, & Anderson Varejao

In 2006, the addition of Larry Hughes represented the first time LeBron played alongside a talented Point guard. The Hughes-Gooden-Ilgauskas trifecta not only gave LeBron three reliable options, but also helped steer the Cavs to their first playoff birth during the dawn of the LeBron era.


#12–2007 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sasah Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson, & Donyell Marshall.

Ten years on, we consider the LeBron-Hughes-Gooden-Ilgauskas-Pavlovic crunch-time five the worst supporting cast in NBA Finals history. At the time, though, the Cavs’ starters, combined with the unexpected bench-play from Gibson and Varejao, was the most talented team LeBron had ever played with.


#11–2008 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao & Daniel Gibson

Although the 2008 Cavs were ousted two rounds earlier than the previous year, the acquisitions of Wallace and West made Cleveland appear far superior than the Cavs’ prior ensemble. For the first time in LeBron’s career, five teammates averaged 10-plus points per game — Hughes, Gooden, Ilgauskas, West, & Gibson — while Wallace and Varejao provided size off the bench.

#10–2009 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Mo Williams (All-Star), Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson, Ben Wallace, & Wally Szerbiak

Just as LeBron entered his athletic peak, Mo Williams emerged as an All-Star — only LeBron’s second teammate to be selected to the East’s All-Star team, as well as his first point guard to do so. The reliable back-court of Williams and West provided enough production to help LeBron carry the Cavs to a franchise-best, 66–16 record.


#9–2010 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Antwan Jamison, Shaquille O’Neal, Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Delonte West, & Anthony Parker

After failing to assemble a championship-worthy supporting cast for the first six years of LeBron’s career, Dan Gilbert & Co. finally struck gold by acquiring Jamison and Shaq. Although they were past their primes, Jamison and Shaq seemingly were the missing title pieces. Fittingly, LeBron’s best supporting cast was wasted on his final year in Cleveland.


#8–2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson, & Matthew Dellavadova

Yes, the 2016 Cavs beat the 73-win Warriors in the NBA Finals. If not for LeBron and Kyrie’s brilliance, it wouldn’t have been possible. Kyrie, with his display of Pippen-esque side-kick potential, earned him a spot next to Dwyane Wade as LeBron’s best running-mate. Even so, the rest of the team’s lackluster performance — most notably, Love and Thompson — makes it impossible to rank them ahead of the following seven casts.


#7–2015 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Kyrie Irving (All-NBA Third Team), Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Timofy Mozgov, & Matthew Dellavadova

If not for injuries to Kyrie and Love, the 2015 Cavs may have ended Cleveland’s championship drought one year earlier. While Kyrie ascended into the upper echelon of NBA superstars following the 2016 Finals, the 2014–15 season is the only time he has been selected to an All-NBA Team. Before coming up short in the postseason, Thompson, Smith, Shumpert, and Mozgoz looked to be the best collection of role-players in LeBron’s career.


#6–2014 Miami Heat

Supporting Cast: Dwyane Wade (All-Star), Chris Bosh (All-Star), Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, & Chris Anderson

During LeBron’s final season in Miami, Wade and Bosh were operating at 75% capacity; Allen was closing in on 40 years-old; Lewis was washed; while Chalmers and Cole had stagnated. Even so, the Heat’s championship experience makes it hard to rank them any lower than six.


#5–2011 Miami Heat

Supporting Cast: Dwyane Wade (All-NBA Second Team), Chris Bosh (All-Star), Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, & Mike Bibby

LeBron’s first year in Miami featured the most top-heavy roster in recent league history. Wade was still considered one of the five-best players in the NBA, Bosh was at his Apex, and Haslem was more than just a liability on the court. Sure, the 2011 Heat had arguably the worst bench in LeBron’s career, but the three-headed monster provided LeBron with an unprecedented level of star-power.


#4–2012 Miami Heat

Supporting Cast: Dwyane Wade (All-NBA Third Team), Chris Bosh (All-Star), Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller, Norris Cole, & Chris Anderson

In year two of LeBron’s Miami tenure, Battier provided the team with an unrivaled Basketball IQ that was missing during the previous season. Further, the aging bodies of Haslem and Bibby were swapped out for Cole Anderson. Wade may have begun to digress, yet the 2012 Heat was, at the time, the best team LeBron had played alongside.


#3–2017 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Kyrie Irving (All-Star), Kevin Love (All-Star), Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, & Kyle Korver

This season’s Cavs team was a lot like the 2013 Heat. Like Wade and Bosh, Kyrie and Love had finally mastered their roles as the second and third-options in the system that is LeBron; Korver looked to be the spitting image of Mike Miller (minus Korver’s lack of playoff production); Jefferson embodied Battier’s role — as the veteran with a basketball mind as beneficial as his on-court production; and Thompson, like 2013 Chalmers, looked to be fully assimilated to the fourth-rung on the ladder.


#2–2018 Cleveland Cavaliers

Supporting Cast: Isaiah Thomas (All-Star), Kevin Love (All-Star), Jae Crowder, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Derrick Rose, & Jeff Green

Initially, I’m sure this ranking seems like wishful-thinking. They gave up one of the top-ten players in the league (Kyrie), for a top-15 (Isaiah) and top-50 (Crowder) guy. And so, yes, the Cavs have a shallower ceiling without Kyrie. When it comes to depth, though, this upcoming Cavs team may be the deepest in LeBron’s career. For a point of comparison, look at how this team’s fourth through seventh options stack up against the aforementioned four teams.

2014 Heat — Ray Allen-Mario Chalmers-Rashard Lewis-Norris Cole

2011 Heat — Mario Chalmers-Udonis Haslem-Mike Miller-Joell Anthony

2012 Heat — Shane Battier-Marrio Chalmers-Mike Miller-Norris Cole

2017 Cavs — Tristan Thompson-J.R. Smith-Iman Shumpert-RichardJefferson

2018 Cavs — Jae Crowder-Tristan Thompson-J.R. Smith-Derrick Rose

#1–2013 Miami Heat

Supporting Cast: Dwyane Wade (Top 15), Chris Bosh (All-Star), Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, & Chris Anderson

Aside from winning 27-straight games en route to their second consecutive championship, the 2013 Heat were LeBron’s best supporting cast because simply, it was the best crunch-time five he’s ever been paired with. In 2013, Wade was at the peak of his side-kick powers; Bosh was a glorified third-banana; Allen was still the best shooter — most clutch, no less — in all of basketball; and Chalmers had cemented his status as a worthy starting point guard. No matter who LeBron plays with going forward, every supporting cast will be measured against this group.

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Brad Callas

Written by

Since ‘92 | NYC | @complex @djbooth https://www.complex.com/author/brad-callas https://djbooth.net/author/brad-callas

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