LeBron James has been the NBA's best player for at least the past decade, but the league's most prestigious individual award hasn't recognized that. James won four MVP awards before his 29th birthday, but he's been blanked ever since. LeBron has won two championships and reached the NBA Finals six times since 2013, but he hasn't won a fifth MVP award, and it's something he's noticed.
"I should have more than four," James told reporters after Thursday's win over the Charlotte Hornets. "But I don't, and I don't sit around thinking about it or crying about it." While James may not cry about it, he's certainly noticed. He grumbled about the number of first-place votes he got in comparison to Giannis Antetokounmpo last season, and has spoken out on several previous awards in the past. Before this season, he even joked that new teammate Marc Gasol "has my Defensive Player of the Year trophy at his house."
It is no secret that James has been deprived of awards that he should have won, but with each passing victory, his case for the 2021 MVP grows stronger. LeBron has the Lakers in sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at 28-13 despite Anthony Davis missing 17 of those 41 games. The Lakers still hold the NBA's No. 1-ranked defense by a comfortable margin even with Davis out. The superstar big man is expected to miss another few weeks, at least, so James will have even more time to sway voters before his team returns to full health. He already has the support of his coach.
"It's a mistake on the voters part to go season after season without voting the best player in the league as MVP," Frank Vogel said. "That's the simplest way to put it. There've been other players that have been deserving, but he's been the best player in the league as long as I can remember. Maybe since his second year in the league, second or third year in the league. It's one of those things that is unfortunate, that's not right. He should get it this year. He's doing it every night and no one is as deserving."
Alex Caruso echoed the sentiment. Kyle Kuzma is pushing for him to earn All-Defense honors. James is deserving of practically any imaginable individual accolade, but the priority remains the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season.
