“My Stomach Was Hurting”: LeBron James Gets Completely Frank About Playing in His First Playoff Game

The Los Angeles Lakers just booked a first-round playoff matchup against the Denver Nuggets as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. As the LA side celebrates their play-in victory against New Orleans, LeBron James opened up about his first postseason experience on the latest episode of his Mind the Game Pod. Even though he holds most of the playoff records now, there used to be a time when the four-time NBA Champion would get nervous going into a postseason series.

When his podcast co-host, JJ Redick, asked him if he remembers his first playoff game experience, LeBron said that all he remembers is being very nervous before the contest.

After making his NBA debut in 2003, LeBron had to wait till his third year to make his first postseason appearance. The 39-year-old said that after losing out on playoff contention in the first two years, he was furious and wanted to make his mark in the league by taking his team to the postseason. In 2006, the Cavs finally managed to secure a spot and faced the Washington Wizards in the first round. Detailing his pre-game feelings, LeBron told JJ, “In my third year, we finally made the postseason and out first game was against Washington at home. I was nervous as hell. My stomach was hurting all goddamn along. All day until the ball jump.”

LeBron added that he was feeling immense pressure at the time because now that he had his team in the postseason, he didn’t want to “sh*t the bed.” If the pressure of the moment alone wasn’t enough, a 21-year-old LeBron was pitted against the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. With a ‘casual’ 32-11-11 from LeBron in the first game, it took the Cavs six games to get past the Wizards. But they unfortunately couldn’t beat the Detroit Pistons in the next round. Regardless of the loss, it became a special moment for LeBron as he got to experience the NBA postseason for the first time.

LeBron James’ stats from the 2006 playoffs

While it was his first postseason experience in the league, LeBron performed like a seasoned veteran in the series. According to StatMuse, in 13 games he averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 5.8 assists, while shooting 47.6% from the field. LeBron’s best performance in the postseason was against the Wizards in game five, where he had 45 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, shooting 60.9% from the field.

After starting the postseason with a bang, he went on to have 30+ points against the Wizards in four other games. LeBron also had another triple double in that postseason against the Pistons in game three with 21-10-10. He closed the season with a 7-6 record in the 2006 playoffs. For someone who was physically feeling the pressure of the playoffs, LeBron sure had a brilliant start to a journey that’s still continuing in 2024.