“Heat nation, we have a bigger goal,” James said. “This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately. I want that championship. That’s all that matters to me.” Photo courtesy of Roberto Koltun / Miami Herald
LeBron James, reigning Miami Heat and NBA star, accepted his third NBA MVP award Saturday, making him only the eighth player in league history to reach that milestone. The others sharing the glory— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone — all have won NBA titles.
“He will get his championship,” Heat President Pat Riley said, according to the Associated Press. “And there might be a lot more there, too.”
James’ numbers this season were 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game with 53 percent shooting. Though the stellar numbers were extremely comparable to last season, James fizzled out at a distant third in the MVP race behind Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard.
Why is obvious.
