LeBron James Named Favorite NBA Player by Overwhelming Margin in Rookie Survey

LeBron James is an incredibly polarizing star amongst fans of the NBA. However, based on a recent survey that asked players of the 2019 NBA draft class a number of league-related questions, the opinion of James amongst the NBA’s youngest players is overwhelmingly popular.

When asked who their favorite current player in the NBA was, an astounding 38 percent of incoming rookies said it was James. The player with the second-most votes, Kevin Durant, netted 20 percent.

These results are pretty fascinating considering that earlier this offseason, data showed that James was the most hated player in the state of California.

Of course, that will likely change if James is able to achieve his goal of bringing an NBA championship to L.A.

That task will be quite hard, of course. The Lakers have not been considered favorites to win the title this season despite an offseason roster overhaul that included trading for star big man Anthony Davis. After former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn ACL last week, the chances of a Lakers championship this season have likely worsened.

Despite all that, it is clear that James still serves as a major inspiration to incoming NBA stars.

Considering his incredible accomplishments throughout his storied NBA career, there is little doubt that the admiration is well-deserved.