LeBron James says Steph Curry 'definitely deserved' winning the MVP award
LeBron has no issues with Steph Curry being the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
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1 min read
There were 131 voters who selected Stephen Curry to be the 2015-16 MVP -- the first unanimous winner in NBA history -- and LeBron James has no qualms about it.
James, a two-time MVP winner himself, usually critiques his place in the MVP voting, but after finishing in third place this year, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has no issues with the results. In fact, James believes that Curry truly deserved the award and that there should be no debating the Warriors guard's achievements this season.
From the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd:
"I think he definitely deserved it," said James, who finished third behind the San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard. "Look at Steph's numbers. He averaged 30, he led the league in steals, he was 90-50-40 and they won 73 (games). Do you have any debate over that, really, when it comes to that award?
"But when you talk about most 'valuable' then you can have a different conversation, so, take nothing away from him, he's definitely deserving of that award, for sure."
James' point was that "valuable" isn't always the same as the player who had the best season.
"If you do it by a year-to-year basis, I think sometimes the word 'valuable' or best player of the year, you can have different results," he said.
James is right; the exact phrasing of the word can lead to some interesting debates and arguments, like if James is more valuable to the Cavs than Curry is to the Warriors, or vice versa.
Yet as James also notes, Curry was the best player on the best team in the NBA (even historically), so the MVP award truly belongs to him. No arguments about it, despite what Tracy McGrady may think.
