Lakers superstar LeBron James is denied a single MVP vote for the FIRST time in his 20-year career after another injury knocked him out of contention for the award
- His averages of 28.9 points, 8.3 rebs and 6.8 asts were less than several candidates
- James has won four MVP awards but has not lifted the trophy since 2013
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For the first time in his 20-year NBA career, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James did not receive a single vote for MVP.
Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid was named NBA MVP for the 2022-2023 season on Tuesday after beating former MVPs Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
James, 38, has won MVP four times in his career, but has not lifted the trophy since 2013.
James posted a great stat line averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists as he helped the Lakers secure the No. 7 seed in the West and a spot in the NBA Play-in- tournament.
He also became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career-high 38,387 points on February 7 against Oklahoma City.
For the first time in his 20-year NBA career, LeBron James did not receive a single MVP vote
76ers center Joel Embiid was officially named NBA MVP this week for the 2022-23 season
Despite averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebs and 6.8 assists, it’s hard to say James deserved votes
However, it’s hard to say that James deserved to be in the MVP race this season when comparing his stats to other candidates such as Embiid, Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
First, James’ season was once again marred by injuries after only appearing in 55 games.
In addition, the Lakers struggled for much of the season before reworking much of their roster before turning things around and entering post-season contention.
MVP voting is often tied to the best player or players from the most winning teams in the league.
Aside from not falling in the winningest category for most of the year, the Lakers’ turnaround at the end of the season is arguably more closely tied to the roster-flipping trades than James carrying the team. , which could have seriously considered his chances of being harmed.
In addition, unlike many of the candidates who received votes, James did not finish the regular season in the top five for any major statistical category.
Embiid averaged 33.1 points to win his second consecutive scoring title, averaged 10.2 rebounds, and reached a career-high 4.2 assists per game, en route to winning this year’s award, making the numbers that James put down far exceeded.