Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was on mission to win his fifth MVP award before the 2019-20 season was suspended.
In an interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins revealed James’ response after he told the three-time champion that he was going to vote for Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP this season.
“I sent him a text and I said, ‘Look man, I’ve got Giannis ahead of you,’” Perkins said. “And that’s when he texted me back and said, ‘Oh don’t worry, I’m gonna reclaim my throne.’ And I was like, ‘OK, well then do it mothaf—-.’ He’s like, ‘I am, mothaf—-.’”
Perkins, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers for a couple of seasons, was just trying to prove he is an unbiased commentator. While it is unclear exactly when the exchange between the former teammates took place, it appeared to awaken the beast.
James, 35, was playing out of his mind before the regular season came to a halt last month.
Although the veteran appeared to not care about the MVP award early in the year, he turned up the heat following All-Star Weekend.
As matter of fact, the four-time MVP was putting up 30.0 points, 9.4 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game after the All-Star break. In that span, he was the second-leading scorer in the entire league behind Washington Wizards sharpshooter Bradley Beal.
Yet, Antetokounmpo is still considered the frontrunner for the illustrious award. On the season, the Milwaukee Bucks reigning MVP is posting career-highs in points (29.6) and rebounds (13.7) per game, in addition to putting up 5.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block a night.
Furthermore, the Bucks have the best record in the NBA.
