Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was second to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in MVP voting this season.
Recently, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant explained why James should have easily been the MVP.
“The criteria is the regular season, but I understand,” Durant said on the Joe Budden Podcast. “I feel the same way you feel. I think that they should evaluate the whole season, playoffs included. If you include the playoffs, the Bron is easily the MVP. But I see why, with the rules now, why Giannis was the MVP. His numbers [were] crazy.”
James, 35, was irate he only earned 16 first place votes for the iconic award.
After all, he’s been snubbed multiple times over the years. James hasn’t won an MVP award since the 2012-13 season.
Antetokounmpo, who was also named the Defensive Player of the Year this season, dominated the voting for the award this season. The international standout collected 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in the regular season.
Furthermore, the Bucks had the best record in the entire association.
As for James, he averaged 25.3 points, 10.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 campaign. The Lakers had the top record in the Western Conference.
Now, James’ Lakers are still in the postseason while Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were eliminated in the second round.
Durant, a former MVP winner, believes James should have easily taken the award home if playoffs were included. However, the criteria for MVP has yet to be changed.
Nonetheless, James won’t care about the results of the MVP award if he brings the Lakers a title this season.
