As LeBron James wraps up his 20th NBA season, it begins to dawn now more than ever, especially after his more frequent injuries, that his career will soon be entering its historic end.
James has already set several records and cemented his legacy in the league. He is the league’s all-time leading scorer. He has dominated nearly two decades’ worth of postseason, reaching the NBA Finals 10 times ending up with four championships.
The Orlando Magic have played a central role in at least a few of James’ stories. Most notably, the Orlando Magic denied James a chance at his first title and a sought-after Finals matchup with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals.
Ever since then, it has always felt like James saved his best for the Magic.
The Orlando Magic have made several key memories and moments against LeBron James throughout his career. Orlando has always stood up to some of the best the league’s greatest has to offer.
Though there will hopefully be more matchups in the coming seasons, we wanted to rewind and go over some of the Magic’s top moments vs James.
Before we countdown, some interesting statistics on James’ games against the Magic.
Including his one and only playoff series versus Orlando back in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, James has played a total of 66 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers against the Orlando Magic.
In those 66 games, he has won 66.7 percent of the 60 regular season games and 33.3 percent of his six playoff games.
In his first stint with Cleveland from 2003 to 2010, James averaged 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 24 matchups. With Miami and his second run with Cleveland from 2010 to 2018, he averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in 29 matchups. And in his seven games with the Lakers again sthe Magic since 2019, he is averaging 25.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
The Magic have seen a lot of the best James has to offer.
Honorable Mention
2003: LeBron pulls up to see T-Mac
In Game 1 of the 2003 Eastern Conference First Round, Tracy McGrady is putting up an amazing 43 points in what will be a seven-game series versus the Detroit Pistons.
In the crowd is a young pre-draft LeBron James wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey who is gawking over Tracy McGrady’s skills and athleticism when interviewed by an ESPN sideline reporter.
Young LeBron watching prime T-Mac single handedly torch a tough Pistons squad 🔥
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) August 16, 2020
Scoring back then was so tough. Look how they have half court defensive sets prepared to frustrate McGrady, yet he’s still getting his. So much talent. pic.twitter.com/voq4rJRLHi
From the very beginning, James was in awe of the Magic and their potential. He was always in their orbit. Little did he know then what kind of an impact that team and that aundry would have on his career that would begin not too long later.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
10. The Orlando Surprise
October 21, 2017
The third game in the season for both teams, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a freshly reformed roster after trading a disgruntled Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. But this is still a team trying to make a championship run, albeit pieced together with Kevin Love remaining along with veterans like Jeff Green, Dwyane Wade and Jose Calderon.
The Magic, who went on to have the 14th-worst record in the Eastern Conference, had enough this early season game to stomp Cleveland behind a surprising 3-point barrage.
Carried by Nikola Vucevic putting up 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks along with a 19-point bench outburst by Jonathon Simmons, they stunned the Cavaliers to improve to 2-1 in the early season.
LeBron James, Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert tried as they combined for 62 points but the team as a whole shot 38.4 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from 3.
This was a rare game in this stretch of basketball where the Magic won every metric and feeling. This win shouldn’t have happened and especially in the margin of victory that it did.
It was a rare piece of success in this era of Magic basketball against James.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
9. LeBron Backpacking through Orlando
February 3, 2011
A nationally televised game on TNT, the second-place Miami Heat visited Amway Center to face an Orlando Magic team who was fourth in the conference as this was the last year of Dwight Howard and the rivalry between Howard’s Magic and whoever LeBron James was playing for. This game was the 101st consecutive sellout crowd of the second year Amway Center and it saw a truly jaw-dropping performance from James.
A struggling Big 3 “Heatles” only had LeBron James to rely on, as Chris Bosh scored 13 points and Wade following with 14 of his own. The only other player to score double-digits was Magic fan favorite and Celtic instigator Eddie House with 10.
James though had plenty, scoring 51 points in 42 minutes for his career-best against the Magic. He made 68 percent of his shots and knocked down 14 of 17 free throws to edge a win against Dwight Howard’s 17-point, 16-rebound monster double-double and 40 points combined by Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson.
Miami held the lead throughout the game, having a 23-point lead with 7:40 left in the game when Orlando went on a 33-13 run closing it to 103-100 after a Nelson pull-up 3 with 10.6 seconds left.
Former Magic Rookie of The Year Mike Miller, turned the ball over on the inbound, Ryan Anderson gets a one-dribble three from 25 feet contested by Joel Anthony (a 2023 closeout flagrant) but misses. Wade finished the game splitting free throws on the other end.
Even at James’ best, the Magic put up a big fight befitting the rivalry with the league’s best player.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
8. “Showtime” LeBron
January 15, 2020
Almost exactly 11 days before Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing and two months before the NBA season was put on hold due to the COVID pandemic, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Orlando Magic in the then-Staples Center in a game that felt like a turning point for the Magic in their quest for a second straight playoff appearance.
The Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference at 33-7 and second best in the league. Orlando was having one of its few near-.500 experiences in the past decade, holding the 7-seed at 19-21.
A full-fledged Orlando assault saw six players score 15-plus points. Markelle Fultz put in a dazzling 21-point triple-double tying in lead scoring with Aaron Gordon who stuffed his own stat sheet with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Two 19-point contributions from Wesley Iwundu and Nikola Vucevic along with 25 combined from Terrence Ross and Gary Clark rounded out the offensive fight.
LeBron James however delivered a Showtime performance with his 19 points and 19 assists tying his career high from two years previous. Anthony Davis did not dress for this game but Orlando Magic Hall of Famer, Dwight Howard, carried his own with nine points and 16 rebounds.
James handed out assists to eight different players and accounted for 55.8 percent of all assists for the Lakers. Being the hub of offense, James scored or assisted on 66 points and 55.9 percnet of the Lakers’ total points scored.
The Magic led for 37 minutes and 53 seconds when the Lakers attained a lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Orlando had the resolve to compete and regained the lead with 4:27 left in the game. Narrowly surviving 3-pointers from all directions until the very end when they edged for the one-point win.
Fultz was especially huge late in the game as this performance cemented his comeback throughout that season.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
7. Christmas Day Clash
December 25, 2003
A rookie LeBron James playing his 29th game in the league went against prime Tracy McGrady in a showcase game on the NBA’s Christmas Day calendar. And the two did not disappoint.
The James-McGrady duel started in the first half with both tallying 20 and 19 points respectively ending the half at Orlando Magic 60, Cleveland Cavaliers 58. The second half followed suit until the final minutes when Carlos Boozer put up a personal 6-2 run to tie the game at 97.
The game came down to James nailing a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime. It really looked like the young rookie could stand up to the All-NBA scoring dynamo.
Luckily, Orlando had a Juwan Howard outburst in overtime along with McGrady to win overtime 16- 4 and finish the Christmas Day clash. Even in a down year for the Magic, McGrady was the master and this league did not yet belong to the young King.
Still, this remains one of the best games between James and the Magic. A game that felt big even in the moment as a true test for James. One that he passed and made clear he would be a star in this league for years to come.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
6. Shooting Woes for the King in Cleveland
April 5, 2008
Late in the 2008 Season, as the newly formed Big 3 of the Boston Celtics ripped up the Eastern Conference and the NBA, the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers battled for the third- and fourth-seed respectfully.
This was the beginning of a clear rivalry and a battle to see who would be the ones to challenge the Celtics and their budding dynasty in the Eastern Conference with the Detroit Pistons beginning to fade.
Though Dwight Howard had a four-point game, the wings carried the Magic behind Hedo and Rashard Lewis combining for 44 points for this critical win. The Magic would end up as the 3-seed and eventually advance out of the first round for the first time in 12 years.
They did that because of their defense with Howard in the middle. And that was on display in what became one of many difficult offensive games for James against Howard and the Magic.
LeBron shot 6 for 22, including 1 for 5 from the three and 4 for 8 from the free throw line. Now he made up for it with a stat-stuffing nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks but the team fell short as the scoring leader for the Cavs was Delonte West.
Although the Magic got the 3-seed with 52 wins and the Cavaliers the 4-seed with 45, they both beat their first-round matchup. But the Magic fell short to the Pistons in 5 in the second round, while the Cavs lost a seven-game series with eventual champion Celtics.
Both teams would soon take center stage in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
5. Miami’s Big 2 Out Of 3 Can’t Close Out The Magic
March 3, 2011
As the Eastern Conference begins its unfortunate decade-long run of putting forward mediocre playoff competition, the Orlando Magic run out its final roster including Dwight Howard. The Magic struggled to measure up to the Miami Heat after they acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh and the Heat dominated the decade.
The Magic though still posed a little bit of a challenge. And these were still two of the top teams in the conference as they battled even in the Magic’s late stages.
But in this March game, Orlando laid an absolute dud of an egg in the first half as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James put up 47 points combined. They shot 18 for 21 as the Heat took a 20-point lead into halftime. The only player for the Magic to put up double digits was Ryan Anderson with 13 points, shooting 3 for 6 from 3.
Orlando caught fire in the second half though, displaying the hot-and-cold nature of these Magic teams at the time.
As the second half unfolded Orlando put up 54 points and took a late-game lead in the fourth quarter to finish out the fumbling Miami team at its home.
Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson led the scoring as the first half Wade-James combo combined for 10 in all the second shooting 3 for 13 as Wade missed every shot he took. Richardson and Nelson finished with 40 points. Richardson hit six of his eight 3-pointers.
Gilbert Arenas also provided a set of highlight moments on his way to 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from deep. That included Arenas giving the Miami crowd a “You-can’t-see-me” or “I-can’t-feel-my-face” gesture as the Magic took the lead.
Dwight Howard finished with 14 points 18 rebounds and 5 blocks, with all of those blocks coming in the second half against all three members of the Big 3 and Mario Chalmers.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
4. Eastern Conference Finals Game One
May 20, 2009
The 66-16 Cleveland Cavaliers at home took on the national underdog Orlando Magic who finished with 59 wins in a surprising Eastern Conference Finals. Orlando faced the steeper competition on the way to the Eastern Conference as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 and an injury-depleted Boston Celtics in 7. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Piston.
Throughout the regular season and Playoffs, Nike had been putting out commercials with puppet versions of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Nearly booking in everyone’s mind that the Los Angeles Lakers would play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.
The Magic did not really give much reason to believe they could score the upset with how shaky the inexperienced postseason team looked in winning the first two series.
As Game One unfolded, LeBron James willed a poor shooting performance from his entire team besides Anderson Varejao into a 20-point lead. James hit a career-high for the regular season or playoffs with 17 2-point field goals, tossing in three out of six from 3, eight assists, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
James finished with 49 by the way, a preview of a dominant individual series from him.
The Cavaliers led the entire game until the fourth quarter when the Magic closed the gap and made this a contest the rest of the way. There were seven lead changes in the final 10 minutes of the game. The ultimate one belonged to Rashard Lewis though.
Lewis hit a 16-footer to give the Magic a one-point lead that James answered. Then Hedo Turkoglu found Rashard Lewis on the wing to hit an in-your-face 3-pointer over Anderson Varejao to give the Magic the lead for good. Orlando contested a pair of threes from Delonte West and Mo Williams to put the game away and steal homecourt advantage in the series.
Orlando outscored Cleveland 29 to 24 in the final quarter. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu combined for 21, shooting 7 for 9, in the final quarter. Lewis had 22 points in the game and Turkoglu had 19 points and 15 assists. Howard scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
This was going to be a series.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
3. Eastern Conference Finals Game 2
May 22, 2009
Coming off of a one-point defeat two nights previously, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to even the series against the underdog Orlando Magic, quickly surging in the first quarter to outpace Orlando by taking a 30-16 lead.
But as became the norm in this series, the Magic were able to claw their way back and stop the bleeding. Cleveland led by 12 points at the half behind James’ 17 points. Rashard Lewis picked up the offense with 10 points and Dwight Howard had eight points and 11 rebounds.
The intensity of the series really began to pick up as the Magic tightened the gap. The Cavaliers were desperate to get a win and avoid the 2-0 hole but kept finding it difficult to get their offense going against the Magic. It just came down to Orlando hitting its shots.
The Magic came back and increased that pressure on the Cavaliers.
Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Courtney Lee combined for 40 out of the Magic’s total 51 points in the second half. Dwight Howard finished with 10 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks.
For as many poor performances and Swiss cheese defense the Cavaliers have played against the Magic, they are still at home and have a top 4 player in the NBA and MVP in James to face.
There were only four lead changes in this game, all of them coming in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. The Magic made its stand and made the big shots.
Turkoglu appeared to put the Magic up for good, hitting a pull-up jumper over Sasha Pavlovic that seemingly sent the Magic back to Orlando up 2-0.
Of course, that is not what happened. And the most replayed moment of this victorious series for the Magic occurred against them in a moment even coach Stan Van Gundy regrets.
With one second remaining, LeBron James got his “Michael Jordan” moment that all of TNT, the NBA and the world sees on repeat.
The Magic opted not to defend the inbounds and try to deny James at the top of the key. Turkoglu played him to go under the screen and cut to the basket. Instead, James popped up to the top of the key and hit a fairly uncontested three to give the Cavaliers a buzzer-beating win.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
2. Eastern Conference Finals Game 5
May 28, 2009
Down 3-1 in their Eastern Conference Finals series, the Cleveland Cavaliers were back in Cleveland, needing to hold on and scratch out a win to extend the series. It seemed inevitable LeBron James, the King Of Akron, would put up a kingly performance.
He single-handedly willed the Cavaliers back to Orlando for a Game 6 showdown with the Orlando Magic. He put up a 37-point monster triple-double, as he tallied 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Even with the customary six lead changes in the second half, the Magic never gained more than a point or two above the Cavaliers.
Dwight Howard struggled with fouls throughout the series and it finally caught up with him in this game. He picked up his fifth foul with six minutes to and the Magic down one before fouling out of the game with 2:22 left and the Magic down eight.
That only opened the lane for James to put the finishing touches on this masterpiece performance.
Hedo Turkoglu, as came to be expected, was the only other player to put up 20-plus points as he had 29 while shooting efficiently, 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3.
This was about James and his masterful performance of orchestrating an offense. The Cavaliers hit every shot they needed to while the Magic missed the ones they needed to keep things close.
Orlando Magic’s top moments vs. LeBron James
1. Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
May 30, 2009
Unbelievably, the Orlando Magic punched their second franchise ticket to the NBA Finals, beginning perhaps the narrative that LeBron James could not deliver and sending the King home far earlier than he anticipated.
This was one of the great upsets in NBA history as the Orlando Magic returned home following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 5 victory and put their foot down in a dominant performance. The Magic never trailed in what became a celebration in the clinching victory.
James did not have his best game of what was an incredible series. But he still recorded 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while shooting 40 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3 and 63 percent from the free throw line.
That encapsulated how dire the Cavs’ chances were relying on one player. This was of course the future foundations of “The Decision” and the Big 3/Player Movement era.
James, of course, drew headlines for walking off the court without shaking his opponents’ hands. That was a move that was overblown at the time but began the negative narratives surrounding James’ status in the league.
Dwight Howard had his best playoff performance, and likely a top-five career performance, if not the best individual game of his entire career. He dominated the paint scoring 40 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and shooting 66 percent from the field. He made his free throws too, hitting 12 of 16 for the game.
The home Orlando crowd was buzzing as the coronation seemed inevitable as the Cavs never got within 10 points in the second half.
As the buzzer sounded, Howard had a smile so big plastered to his face as he untucks his jersey and pointed to the heavens. The Orlando Magic went on to the NBA Finals to face the Los Angeles Lakers, and in turn, foiling the closest chance LeBron and Kobe had to face off in the postseason.
More importantly, the Magic can hold one thing over James in his entire career. He never defeated the Magic in a playoff series.