Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

LeBron James Honored as NBA MVP For 4th Time

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: | Updated on May 7, 2013 CommentsComments (0)

Funny, but LeBron James seemed more upset that he did not win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award than he was elated that he was again honored as the league’s MVP.  That disposition, if nothing else, speaks to the unique mindset that makes him game’s preeminent player.

The Miami Heat guard/forward/center took the NBA’s top honor for the fourth time in his brilliant career. And, save for one inexplicable nod to the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony, took all first place votes.

Still, James hardly seemed unimpressed with the acknowledgment.

“I tried harder to win defensive player of the year than I did MVP,” he said. “That’s my goal. Coach (Erik Spoelstra) had me guarding every position. We’ll try again next year.”

This season was one of James’ best and most well-rounded. He shot a career-high 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range. He averaged 26.8 points, a career-high 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, while leading Miami to the best record in the league and a run of 27 straight victories.

Still, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe voted for Anthony, who led the NBA in scoring. Washburn wrote that without Anthony the Knicks would not have made the playoffs. He noted that James was ably assisted by fellow all-star Dwyane Wade. There is “no LeBron conspiracy,” he wrote.

To most everyone else, the MVP this year was a no-brainer. Even Anthony said: “LeBron gets it. I take my hat off to him, he deserves it.”  He added, “They had a helluva year, to win 27 straight games, a hell of an achievement.”

“God gave him the ability to be a very, very special player,” Wade said of James. “You never know how long you’re going to have that, and he never takes it for granted.”

Heat president Pat Riley said gave James the ultimate compliment.

“Over these 46 years, I’ve had an opportunity to see some great players — and all the ones I’ve observed, watched and have seen, they’ve always gotten better,” Riley said from the podium as he turned to James. “In my humble opinion, I believe the man right here is the best of them all.”

 

 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top