Former Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson is back in his natural element: talking basketball on Twitter.
Johnson released a slew of tweets on Sunday evening naming the leading men for various NBA awards, including his top 16 MVP candidates.
Perhaps there is homerism here, but Johnson named LeBron James as his top candidate for MVP. It was followed by Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dallas Mavericks second-year sensation Luka Doncic who are both tied at second.
My top 16 MVP candidates in order:
1. LeBron James
2a. Giannis Antetokounmpo/2b. Luka Dončić
3. James Harden
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Anthony Davis
6. Nikola Jokic
7. Joel Embiid
8. Jayson Tatum
9. Pascal Siakam
10. Donovan Mitchell
11. Ben Simmons
12. Kyrie Irving— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 25, 2019
13. Damian Lillard
14. Karl-Anthony Towns
15. Bradley Beal
16. Devin Booker— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 25, 2019
Magic Johnson recruited James to L.A. back when he was still president, but the two parted on rather bitter terms after Johnson made a surprise announcement that he was stepping down last April.
One of Johnson's stated reasons for stepping down was that he missed his ability to speak freely about the game or interact with his proteges, such as Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons. But now that he has resumed life as a fan and ambassador, Johnson's Twitter fingers are churning once again.
“Homerism” aside, James certainly has a strong case for MVP. He is averaging 25.2 points, 10.8 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game for the best team in the NBA, and he is most definitely the catalyst for that Laker team.
Still, what Giannis and Doncic have done is impossible to ignore.
Giannis continues to assert his dominance and has propelled the Bucks to the top in the East. He is averaging 29.9 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Doncic has arguably been the story of the entire season. The 20-year-old was averaging 29.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 9.7 assists before dropping 41 on the Rockets on Sunday, and he has led a surprising Mavs team to an 11-5 start.
Needless to say, the MVP race could be quite crowded all the way to April.
Follow Us
Subscribe