‘LeBron James was on Giannis’ heels like a pair of socks before the pandemic began!’ - Kendrick Perkins endorses NBA legend for his 5th MVP award

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Milwaukee Bucks v Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA MVP race has been a heated one this basketball season. There have been debates revolving around who should get the MVP crown- Giannis Antetekoumpo of Milwaukee Bucks or LeBron James of LA Lakers. These two stars have had a stellar NBA season and the statistics prove that they are worthy of being in the MVP conversation. 

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins makes a case for why LeBron James is the MVP 

Like fans, the media has also been divided into deciding who should be given the NBA MVP title. Strong arguments for both LeBron James and Giannis Antetekoumpo can be made. ESPN analyst and former Boston Celtics centre Kendrick Perkins chimed in with his opinion on the show ‘Get Up’. He was quoted saying

LeBron was on Giannis’s heels before the pandemic began like a pair of socks. So I don’t wanna hear that it’s by a landslide. And where was the same energy when LeBron was in the eastern conference? The Lakers have not made the playoffs since 2013 and now they are in the number one spot in the western conference.

Perkins continued by saying,

In his career, he is finally averaging a 20 and 10 season. And yes, I hear all this about Giannis’s defensive numbers but he has a teammate Brook Lopez who has about the same numbers"

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It is true that LeBron James has put up astronomical numbers in his year seventeen at the age of thirty-five. LeBron James has led the LA Lakers to number 1 seed above their city rivals LA Clippers who made the blockbuster trades for stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last offseason. Both LeBron James and fellow Laker Anthony Davis have ensured that the team comes out on top even in the big games which was evident in their wins against Giannis’s Bucks and Kawhi’s Clippers. 

However, on the other hand, Giannis Antetekoumpo is having statistically one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. He is averaging 29.6 points/13.7 rebounds/5.8 assists. The notable part is that he has averaged these numbers after playing less than 30 minutes per game as Mike Budenholzer tried to limit his minutes.

The Bucks fans will be hoping that Giannis continues his form in the NBA bubble and leads Milwaukee to a championship. They are the favourites to win the eastern conference and reach the NBA finals but will definitely face stern competition from the western conference teams LeBron James's LA Lakers and LA Clippers.

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