If LeBron James was in charge of NBA MVP voting, he'd be taking home his fifth such trophy at the end of this season. Of course, LeBron doesn't have any say in who gets named NBA MVP, but we do appreciate the honesty he showed when asked who should win the award.
According to the Associated Press, LeBron said he would definitely vote for himself if given the opportunity and provided a number of reasons why. It was a much more refreshing take than the canned answers we typically get from players when asked this type of question.
"I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."
In his 15th NBA season, LeBron is having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. The 33-year old forward is averaging 27.4 points per game in addition to 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds, both of which are career highs. According to ESPN, those numbers are better than his four previous MVP seasons between 2008-09 and 2012-13.
"I've said it," James said. "Obviously, I've had some unbelievable seasons before, but I've said it: This is the best I can go, just from a complete basketball player standpoint."
LeBron will certainly be in the MVP conversation but Houston Rockets guard James Harden appears to be the leader in the clubhouse right now. Harden leads the league in scoring with 30.7 points per night along with 8.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds, while leading the Rockets to an NBA-best 61-14 record.