LeBron James wins his first MVP award this season

Las vigas – Lakers legend LeBron James added to his endless list of basketball accomplishments on Saturday in leading his team to victory over the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. He helped win the Lakers’ inaugural NBA Cup Series championship. He beat out Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s exciting young guard, for MVP honors during the season as well.

Both James and Haliburton will hold spots on the championship team that will be announced Monday by the NBA. But only one home console was recalled immediately after the title game.

Here’s a shot of James starring during the season:

• James didn’t just shine in the semifinals and final in Las Vegas. In tournament play, he averaged 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 56.8% from the field and 60.6% on 3s. All of this heavy lifting helped the Lakers pass the group stage and knockout round with a perfect 7-0 record.
• In the playoff, James’ teammate Anthony Davis posted some huge stats: 41 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots. But this was no one-game prize, and besides, James was no slouch. He scored 24 points with 11 boards and four assists. He scored 16 of his 24 points in the second and third quarters, giving the Lakers a 90-82 lead and never losing. He finished the night with a plus/minus rating of +19, bringing his tournament total to +118.
• The Lakers star continues to challenge Father Time as he approaches 39 years old^y Birthday (December 30). His performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals — totals of 61 points, 13 rebounds and 19 assists against Phoenix and New Orleans, in which he made 21 of 37 shots — had opposing players and coaches marveling at his late peak. Meanwhile, his coach Darvin Ham said that James definitely belongs in the 2024 MVP award at the age of 21.^street NBA season.
• James seemed excited from the start about the In-Season Tournament, with his and a few other stars’ involvement providing instant credibility to what some saw as a confusing, novelty gimmick. He seemed to like the idea of ​​the competition, was not shy about his interest in the $500,000 prize money for each winning player, and saw the tournament as a tool to promote the development of the Los Angeles team.

What does this mean: James added incentive to chase an in-season championship and MVP honors. Las Vegas is a special market for him, a destination that most NBA insiders assume will be an expansion franchise in the not-too-distant future. James has never spoken about his desire to become an owner and face of that organization when it becomes a reality, so etching his name into every available space this week can only help. It also helps that an NBA legend wins his first NBA Cup and plants the flag as the tournament’s MVP.

Updated biography of James: It’s not like she needs any padding, but this resume now includes some additional accomplishments and impressive awards. The challenge will be to find space on the shelves and walls in and around the NBA’s four championship rings, four Finals MVPs, four regular-season MVPs, one scoring crown, one Rookie of the Year award, memorabilia from his 19 All-Star appearances and the tallest mountain of points. Collected history of the NBA. His stats from Saturday won’t count against his standing record (that’s NBA policy in the IST Finals) but his 39,201 + 8,203 in the playoffs seems untouchable.

His words: “We made history. Anytime you’re on the right side of history, you have to take it, so…

When doing so in Las Vegas, where he had plans to manage an expansion team: “It hasn’t changed. My enthusiasm… bringing a team here hasn’t changed. The fans are amazing here. They have everything here already. WNBA teams, they have a baseball team coming soon, an NFL team, a hockey team, F1 was just here during Thanksgiving week.” … It’s a place that loves great attractions, and I think the NBA will be another great addition to this city.

In Anthony Davis’ play on Saturday: “It was such a dominant performance as Shaq.”

Rating the Lakers and their playoff ambitions based on their showing in the tournament: “Now that we’re in December, I’d like to take it. But I’m definitely not looking forward to May and June. That’s too far away. There’s still a lot of steps to take for our team to be what we want it to be once the postseason starts.”

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Steve Ashburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him here , find his archive here and Follow him on Twitter.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the NBA, its clubs, or Warner Bros. Discovery.