Question: When did the highest paid athlete in the NBA first go to the finals?

full_context: Document 1: 2007 NBA Finals: The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2007 Finals as newcomers. Game 1 was their first NBA Finals game in franchise history, and the first for each of its players (other than reserve point guard Eric Snow). However, the San Antonio Spurs had been to the Finals in three of the past eight seasons, winning a championship each time. With solid performances by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili, the Spurs won the series opener in convincing fashion, limiting LeBron James to 14 points on 4 -- 16 shooting.
Document 2: Highest-paid NBA players by season: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,000,000. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 - year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017.
Document 3: LeBron James: Many basketball analysts, coaches, fans, and current and former players consider James to be one of the greatest players of all - time, often ranking him as the best small forward and in the top five overall. He has earned All - NBA honors every season since his sophomore year, All - Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014, and was named Rookie of the Year in his debut season. With four MVP awards, he is part of a select group of players who have won the award four times, including Kareem Abdul - Jabbar, Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell; James and Russell are the only two players who have won four MVP awards in a five - year span. While James has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. James has appeared in the Finals eight times and won three championships. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that his supporting casts were usually poor and, despite the fact that James had played well, his team was defeated by superior competition.
Document 4: Highest-paid NBA players by season: Player Salary Team Stephen Curry $34,682,550 Golden State Warriors LeBron James $33,285,709 Cleveland Cavaliers Paul Millsap $30,769,231 Denver Nuggets Gordon Hayward $29,727,900 Boston Celtics Blake Griffin $29,512,900 Los Angeles Clippers / Detroit Pistons Kyle Lowry $28,903,704 Toronto Raptors Mike Conley Jr. $28,530,608 Memphis Grizzlies Russell Westbrook $28,299,399 Oklahoma City Thunder James Harden $28,299,399 Houston Rockets DeMar DeRozan $27,739,975 Toronto Raptors
Document 5: Highest-paid NBA players by season: Player Salary Team Stephen Curry $34,682,550 Golden State Warriors LeBron James $33,285,709 Cleveland Cavaliers Paul Millsap $31,269,231 Denver Nuggets Gordon Hayward $29,727,900 Boston Celtics Blake Griffin $29,512,900 Los Angeles Clippers Kyle Lowry $28,703,704 Toronto Raptors Russell Westbrook $28,530,608 Oklahoma City Thunder Mike Conley, Jr. $28,530,608 Memphis Grizzlies James Harden $28,299,399 Houston Rockets DeMar DeRozan $27,739,975 Toronto Raptors
Document 6: Highest-paid NBA players by season: 2018 -- 2019 Player Salary Team Stephen Curry $37,457,154 Golden State Warriors Russell Westbrook $35,665,000 Oklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul $35,654,150 Houston Rockets LeBron James $35,654,150 Los Angeles Lakers Blake Griffin $31,873,932 Detroit Pistons Gordon Hayward $31,214,295 Boston Celtics Kyle Lowry $31,000,000 Toronto Raptors James Harden $30,570,000 Houston Rockets Paul George $30,560,700 Oklahoma City Thunder Mike Conley Jr. $30,521,115 Memphis Grizzlies 2017 -- 2018 Player Salary Team Stephen Curry $34,682,550 Golden State Warriors LeBron James $33,285,709 Cleveland Cavaliers Paul Millsap $30,769,231 Denver Nuggets Gordon Hayward $29,727,900 Boston Celtics Blake Griffin $29,512,900 Los Angeles Clippers / Detroit Pistons Kyle Lowry $28,903,704 Toronto Raptors Mike Conley Jr. $28,530,608 Memphis Grizzlies Russell Westbrook $28,299,399 Oklahoma City Thunder James Harden $28,299,399 Houston Rockets DeMar DeRozan $27,739,975 Toronto Raptors
Document 7: Highest-paid NBA players by season: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,000,000. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017.
Document 8: Highest-paid NBA players by season: Player Salary Team LeBron James $30,963,450 Cleveland Cavaliers Al Horford $26,540,100 Boston Celtics DeMar DeRozan $26,540,100 Toronto Raptors James Harden $26,540,100 Houston Rockets Kevin Durant $26,540,100 Golden State Warriors Russell Westbrook $26,540,100 Oklahoma City Thunder Mike Conley, Jr. $26,540,100 Memphis Grizzlies Dirk Nowitzki $25,000,000 Dallas Mavericks Carmelo Anthony $24,559,380 New York Knicks Damian Lillard $24,328,425 Portland Trail Blazers
Document 9: LeBron James: In 2006 -- 07, James's averages declined to 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Some analysts attributed the fall to a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, which stemmed from a lack of effort and focus. The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East's second seed. In Game 5 of the NBA Conference Finals, James notched 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, scoring 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the game - winning layup with two seconds left, against the Pistons. After the game, play - by - play announcer Marv Albert called the performance ``one of the greatest moments in postseason history ''and color commentator Steve Kerr described it as`` Jordan-esque''. In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history. The Cavaliers went on to win Game 6 and claim their first - ever Eastern Conference championship, earning them a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. During the championship round, James struggled, averaging 22 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting, and Cleveland was eliminated in a sweep.
Document 10: Cleveland Cavaliers: In 2014, James returned to the Cavaliers after four seasons in Miami. While the Heat had a 224 -- 88 record during James' four - year tenure and won NBA titles in 2012 and 2013, the Cavaliers went 97 -- 215 and missed the playoffs each season. The Cavaliers made several moves to build a championship - contender around James, most notably acquiring power forward Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which created what many fans and media referred to a ``Big Three ''with James, Love, and Irving. The Lebron - led Cavaliers made four consecutive finals appearances in from 2015 to 2018, all against the Golden State Warriors, winning in 2016. The 2016 NBA Championship marked the Cavaliers' first title in franchise history, as they became the first team to come back from a 3 -- 1 deficit to win the Finals. It was also Cleveland's first championship in major professional sports since the 1964 Browns, signaling the end of the so - called Cleveland sports curse.
Document 11: NBA Finals: During the 2015 -- 16 season, the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a season with a record of 73 -- 9 and Curry won his second straight MVP award, as well as becoming the first unanimous MVP in history and shattering his own record for three - pointers made in a single season by over one hundred in the process. The Warriors fell to a 3 - 1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals against a Kevin Durant - led Oklahoma City Thunder team, but won three straight elimination games to take the series and advance to a second straight Finals. The Cavaliers finished the season as the top - seed in the Eastern Conference and won their first 10 straight playoff games, ultimately defeating the Toronto Raptors 4 -- 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals to ensure the rematch of last year's Finals. In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors got out to a 3 - 1 lead, but James and Irving led the Cavs to two straight victories to force a deciding Game 7. In a key sequence with two minutes remaining in Game 7, LeBron James made a memorable chase - down block on Iguodala to keep the game tied, while Irving hit a 3 - point shot a minute later to take the lead. Cleveland managed to hold on to the lead to win the title and end the city's 52 - year championship drought, with James earning his third Finals MVP honor.
Document 12: LeBron James: Many basketball analysts, coaches, fans, and current and former players consider James to be one of the greatest players of all - time, often ranking him as the best small forward and in the top five overall. He has earned All - NBA honors every season since his sophomore year, All - Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014, and was named Rookie of the Year in his debut season. With four MVP awards, he is part of a select group of players who have won the award four times, including Kareem Abdul - Jabbar, Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell; James and Russell are the only two players who have won four MVP awards in a five - year span. While James has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. James has appeared in the Finals eight times and won three championships. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that James usually performed well but was defeated by superior competition.
Document 13: 2015 NBA Finals: James also became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points, assists and rebounds for the entire series. He averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists for the series, although he shot 39.8% throughout the series. Kevin Love missed the entire series due to an injury, and Kyrie Irving missed the final five games of the series due to an injury in Game 1. For the second straight year, the Finals was played in the 2 -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 format (Games 1, 2, and 5 were at Golden State, games 3, 4, and 6 were at Cleveland. Had it been necessary, Game 7 would have been held at Golden State). The series began on June 4, 2015, and it ended on June 16, 2015, and in the United States, it was televised on ABC and in Canada, it was televised on TSN.
Document 14: LeBron James: James played high school basketball at St. Vincent -- St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected by his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. James led Cleveland to the franchise's first Finals appearance in 2007, ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision. James spent four seasons with the Heat, reaching the Finals all four years and winning back - to - back championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he led Miami on a 27 - game winning streak, the third longest in league history. Following his final season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers. From 2015 to 2017, he led the Cavaliers to three consecutive Finals, winning his third championship in 2016 to end Cleveland's 52 - year professional sports title drought.
Document 15: Highest-paid NBA players by season: Player Salary Team LeBron James $30,963,450 Cleveland Cavaliers Al Horford $26,540,100 Boston Celtics DeMar DeRozan $26,540,100 Toronto Raptors James Harden $26,540,100 Houston Rockets Kevin Durant $26,540,100 Golden State Warriors Russell Westbrook $26,540,100 Oklahoma City Thunder Mike Conley Jr. $26,540,100 Memphis Grizzlies Dirk Nowitzki $25,000,000 Dallas Mavericks Carmelo Anthony $24,559,380 New York Knicks Damian Lillard $24,328,425 Portland Trail Blazers
ground_truth: 2006 -- 07
sub_queries: who is the highest paid athlete in the nba Answer: LeBron James
when did LeBron James first go to the finals Answer: 2006 -- 07