LeBron James May Have Had Secret Operation After 2015 NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals in six games despite LeBron James averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks in the series.
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Kyrie Irving fractured his left kneecap in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series.
Meanwhile, Kevin Love missed the entire Cavaliers-Warriors series after dislocating his left shoulder in the first round of the 2015 playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
James did everything he could to lead Cleveland past Golden State, but the leading scorer in NBA history came up short.
A future Hall of Famer, James played through a well-documented back injury during the 2014-15 season. While it was reported that James didn’t have surgery, his former Cleveland teammate, Iman Shumpert, recently said he “believes” James had “some back operation” after the 2015 NBA Finals.
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“I can’t remember what LeBron’s issue was, but I believe he went and got some back operation after that before the next season,” Shumpert said on the Hoop Collective on Monday.
Iman Shumpert “believes” LeBron James had a back operation in the summer of 2015. © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
If James did have a back operation in the summer of 2015, it didn’t affect his play in the following season.
James played in 76 games in 2015-16, averaging 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks.
The Cavaliers faced the Warriors again in the 2016 NBA Finals. Behind James and Irving, Cleveland erased a 3-1 series deficit to win the championship in seven exhilarating games.
James won the 2016 Finals MVP Award. He finished the seven-game series with stellar averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks.
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James, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, is a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP.
He has won a title and Finals MVP Award with every team he has played for.
Related: LeBron James Makes Michael Jordan Statement Without Hesitation
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.