The Boston Celtics have one of the most iconic rivalries in all of professional sports with the Los Angeles Lakers. There also haven't been that many players in NBA history who have annoyed the Celtics more than LeBron James. To think that LeBron and the Lakers joined forces just as the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era came into full swing should have led to some epic battles in the NBA Finals.
But that never happened. Plus, despite what James wants, the likelihood of that happening now is all but out the window.
LeBron says he wants a Lakers vs. Celtics Finals.
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 14, 2026
“That’d be crazy. I had a lot of Celtics series when I was in the East. They don’t quite like me either.”
(Via @mindthegamepod / h/t @NBA__Courtside ) pic.twitter.com/kPLBXu7lcz
It's actually mind-blowing that a Celtics-Lakers Finals never happened once LeBron started wearing the purple and gold jersey. James may have been declining at a snail's pace over the last eight seasons, but he was still considered the league's best player when he signed there in 2018.
That coincided with Tatum and Brown coming into their own as one of the NBA's best duos. Both the Celtics and Lakers have been at the top of their respective conferences, but not once did the famous rivalry get renewed.
All these years later, all anyone can ask is how?
Both the Celtics & Lakers played their part in it never happening
The first year LeBron joined the Lakers coincided with the infamous Kyrie Irving disaster in Boston, where, despite having more than enough talent to go on a title run, the Celtics' internal strife prevented them from gelling. Meanwhile, the Lakers were also a disaster, as everyone kinda knew LeBron was anteing up for an Anthony Davis trade, which made things a little awkward.
The next season, the Lakers' fortunes changed for the better with the addition of Davis, while the Celtics' fortunes did the same with the subtraction of Kyrie (who was replaced by Kemba Walker). While we know what happened with the Lakers in the bubble, they sadly didn't see their rival in the finals.
Kemba's knee was toast, while the absence of Al Horford played fantastically into Miami's hands, as the Celtics had no one to throw at Bam Adebayo, giving the Heat the edge they needed to beat the Celtics. 2020 was somehow the closest we got to a Celtics-Lakers finals with LeBron.
2021 was an odd year for both teams, as the COVID-19-shortened season effectively killed them. Both started out well, but the pandemic and injuries took both teams out. Because LeBron and the Lakers panicked after seeing Irving and the supposed juggernaut Nets, the Lakers went out and got Russell Westbrook, one of the bigest backfires a contending team has ever suffered.
Until they got Luka Doncic four years later, the Westbrook trade effectively killed the LeBron era. Not just because Russ was a mistake (for the record, he earnestly tried) but because who the Lakers lost to make room for him (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder) weren't easily replaceable despit their best efforts.
The following season, the Lakers had a bit of a renaissance after they traded Westbrook, but even then, it was clear they were yesterday's news, as they lost in the Western Conference Finals. If it was any comfort to them, the Celtics lost in their respective Conference Finals that year too.
Even after they got Doncic (half a season after Boston got Banner 18), it's never felt like the Lakers got their mojo back. With Luka and Austin Reaves out, plus the ongoing belief that LeBron's on his way out of Hollywood, a Celtics-Lakers finals matchup without the King appears not to be in the cards.
It is cool that Tatum and Brown got to go up against LeBron in their first year together. It's just a shame that was the only time they crossed paths in the playoffs.
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