LeBron James received the ultimate, definitive tribute despite NBA Finals loss

He received glowing praise from team-mates and opponents alike.

Niall McIntyre

LeBron James received the ultimate, definitive tribute despite NBA Finals loss

The Golden State Warriors defeated LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers to regain the NBA Championship with a 4-1 series win.

The Warriors sealed a 129-120 victory on Monday to take their second title in the last three seasons and to cap a smooth run through the playoffs.

Kevin Durant scored 39 points to fire the Warriors to victory, and to spark scenes of celebration at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers charge with 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists but his efforts were ultimately in vain as the home team came out on top.

James, widely described as the best player of his generation received powerful acclaim from team-mates and opponents alike.

Kevin Durant, the Golden State top scorer was particularly effusive in his praise of the 32-year-old.

“He’s the only person that I was looking at since 2012. He’s the only guy that can look me eye to eye and I knew it was going to be a battle. I tried to challenge him. He averaged a damn triple double, you can’t stop the guy, but we battled,” said Durant.

And with the Cavaliers and Warriors both set to retain their spots on top of their respective conferences, the battle may be only beginning.

“I told him, ‘We tied up now,’ and we gonna try to do this thing again,” Durant said.

Nothing but respect 💯 pic.twitter.com/5aqQzDYxnx

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2017

James received high praise from his Cleveland teammate, Kylie Irving, who spoke eloquently about the team player that LeBron is. Irving praised James’ selflessness, his dedication and his utter professionalism.

“It would be a disservice to myself if I didn’t try to learn as much as possible while I’m playing with this guy. Every single day demanding more out of himself, demanding more out of us, the true testament of a consummate professional,” said Irving after the game.