NBA

The 3 Best Seasons of LeBron James' NBA Career

Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow

1. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2008-09

At the age of 24, the boy from Akron posted 30.1 nERD -- the highest mark of his career and, by far, the highest since we've started tracking back in 2000. In fact, LeBron's the only player to ever reach 30.

Per game, LeBron averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists in a healthy 37.7 minutes. He missed only one of the Cavs' 82 games, meaning LeBron played the most games he ever has in a regular season.

The fusion of James' endurance and efficiency proved to be a deadly combination for the rest of the NBA. LeBron led the league with career highs in PER (31.7), win shares (20.3) and value over replacement player (11.6). He finished the year with an offensive rating of 122 and a defensive rating of 99, which are the second-best figures of the King's NBA tenure.

Unfortunately, all this is to say that the Cavs didn't make it past Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Therefore, while the ending likely gives this season a black eye among the masses, it was LeBron's best individual season.