‘King James’ returns to the NBA Playoffs: A look at his incredible postseason stats

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are heading back to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since their championship-winning season in 2020, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime.

The Lakers rallied back from a 15-point deficit in the second half, mounting a 16-6 run in the fourth quarter before Dennis Schroder looked to have won the game with seconds on the clock.

After Schroder's three-pointer, Lakers forward Anthony Davis fouled Timberwolves guard Mike Conley with 0.1 seconds left on the clock, resulting in Conley making all three free throws. However, the Lakers got the job done, winning 108-102 in overtime.

James led the Lakers with 30 points, ten rebounds, and six assists in the win. 'The King' hasn't won a playoff series since defeating the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals at Walt Disney World.

The 7^th seed Lakers now play 2^nd seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, battling it out against Grizzlies superstars Ja Morant and Jaron Jackson Jr.

With LeBron James back in the playoffs, let's look at his most impressive stats in the postseason.

LeBron James has played in ten NBA Finals (four wins and six losses). His consistency at the highest level for a sustained number of years is one of many reasons he is in the GOAT conversation.

James has the playoff record for most games played in the postseason, with 266 games played. Second to him is Derek Fischer, with 259, and the third is Tim Duncan, with 251 appearances.

The playoff appearance record doesn't come without the wins, as 'The King' holds the record for total wins as well, amassing 64 wins in just his championship campaigns.

James has a playoff record of 174 wins, beating out Derek Fischer and Tim Duncan again, who finished second and third on the list.

If Michael Jordan hadn't retired in 1993 or 1998, this may have been a different story. Despite that, James passed his hero in the playoff scoring records a few years back, securing 7,631 points to Jordan's 5,931.

James has led playoff scoring in six seasons of his career, with his first being in 2007 with Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 501 points, and the last being in 2018 with the Cavs again, securing a career-high 748 points.

Three players in the NBA have a +1,000 rating in the playoffs or more. As you can imagine, James leads the way again, recording +1,310 over his postseason career.

James' domination in the post-season can't be understated, placing himself in the top ten of 14 categories relating to the playoffs and being top spot on eight occasions.

As well as the stats already mentioned, James has a playoff record in steals (454), Field Goals Made (5,502), Free Throws Made (1,749), and total minutes (11,035).

With it being his first playoff appearance in three years, will James be hungrier than ever to break more playoff records?