Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James didn't win MVP this season. It was difficult anyway given the injury he suffered this 2020-21 campaign and the inconsistent performance of the Purple and Gold. However, he did make some sort of MVP history.
By getting one vote in the final MVP tally, LeBron became the only player in league history to do so in 18 seasons–which is, by the way, his whole career. According to Hoops Hype, he broke a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who got the honor for 17 straight seasons from 1969 to 1986.
Below is the final MVP voting results, which Nikola Jokic dominated. The Lakers star got one fifth-place vote, and that is enough to give him the record.
Full MVP balloting results: Jokic gets 91 first-place votes; Curry next with five. pic.twitter.com/qqWr6aG9BN
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 8, 2021
LeBron James has been the face of the NBA since his arrival as the first overall pick in 2003. While he has only won four MVP awards in his career, a case could be made that he deserves more.
Basically, people just got too used to his greatness and the bar just gets higher and higher for him.
Over the past decade, the NBA Finals has been largely dominated by LeBron–which is a testament to his greatness. And the fact that the Lakers forward has gotten another MVP vote at age 36 is just another proof of his consistent play at a high level.
During the 2020-21 season, James averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists. He was actually a frontrunner for the award early in the season, but the ankle injury he suffered last March cost him 2o straight games and the chance to win the highest individual honor.
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