How Many Times Has LeBron James Lost In The NBA Finals? Cavs Superstar Has Had Many Setbacks

Losing a championship is often a tough pill to swallow. Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West, who is silhouetted on the NBA logo, failed to win a title until his 12th season after losing to the Boston Celtics six times and once to the New York Knicks.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers' defeat to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, LeBron James joined the long list of legends with multiple Finals losses. It has been a list James has been a part of for quite some time. While James has won three titles in 14 seasons with the Cavs and Miami Heat, he has lost in the title series five times.

James took a moment after Game 5 to reflect on his legacy with fondness. "This is my eighth trip to the Finals and I've had some pretty good ones in my day," he said.

Read: Warriors Favored To Repeat As Champions

James' first trip to the championship series was in 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavs. In 2011, he would return to the Finals as a member of the Heat, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

The following year, James would win his first title and the Heat would repeat as champions for James' second title. But the Heat would lose their bid for a third consecutive title in 2014.

When James returned to the Cavs in 2014, he would reach the Finals again but fell to the Warriors. James would get his revenge when the Cavs came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the 2016 season.

James, with his 3-5 Finals record, is in good company when it comes to NBA greats to reach the Finals and come up short.

Elgin Baylor, West's longtime teammate, never won a title in eight title series with the Lakers. Magic Johnson lost in the title series four times, while his main rival, Larry Bird, lost twice. Karl Malone lost three times, while Kobe Bryant also lost twice.

According to ESPN, West spoke to James in the 2016 Finals and defended the Cavs' superstar's Finals record.

"You think you're frustrated? How would you like to get there eight times and not win? I told LeBron, 'I wanted to quit.' In the height of my career, I wanted to quit. I was so angry, so frustrated," West said.

Michael Jordan, very much an admired and emulated player by James and Bryant, was perfect in six trips to the Finals. Bill Russell had a stellar 11-1 record in the championship series as a member of the Celtics Dynasty in the 1960s.