LeBron James says he would’ve won MVP last season if he didn’t sprain his ankle

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: April 11, 2022

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA.

During the 2020-21 season, James seemed to have a strong shot at winning the fifth MVP award of his illustrious career. Sadly, an ankle injury derailed his season as well as the Lakers’ season.

During his exit interview on Monday morning, James looked backed at that MVP chase and made it clear that he believes he was leading the charge for the award before the injury effectively knocked him out of contention.

LeBron claims he was the "MVP of the season" last year before he sprained his ankle.

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 11, 2022

The 2020-21 NBA season will likely always bring a tinge of pain for James and Lakers. L.A. was one of the best teams in the NBA before injuries began to affect its season.

Before his ankle injury, James was averaging 25.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. He was shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from deep.

The Lakers managed to advance to the playoffs that season. In the first round, the Lakers held a 2-1 lead over the Phoenix Suns.

Superstar big man Anthony Davis then suffered an injury during the fourth game of the series, and the Lakers lost three straight games and were bounced out of the playoffs. Of course, the Suns later won the Western Conference.

James is now surely more focused on trying to win more titles before his NBA career comes to an end.

This year, he’ll watch the entire NBA postseason from the comfort of his couch. The Lakers hobbled through the entire season and finished as the No. 11 seed in the West.