"Early and peak LeBron’s athleticism may have wowed me even more" - NBA analyst believes LeBron James was a better athlete in his early years as compared to MIP winner and former no. 1 overall pick
NBA Analyst for Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey compared prime LeBron James to Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. Bailey suggested that James is more impressive than the two young guns.
"Ball is Life" posted a highlight reel of James' 2008-09 MVP season. Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey quote-tweeted in support of the LA Lakers superstar. He acknowledged that Williamson and Morant have done some incredible things but peak James clears both of them. Bailey said:
"We’ve seen some incredible feats from guys like Zion and Ja, but early and peak LeBron’s athleticism may have wowed me even more."
Fans today are unaware of young LeBron James' athleticism and freakish abilities. LeBron was once considered the most athletic player on the planet as he routinely jumped out of the gym for thunderous dunks and nasty blocks. Thirteen years ago today, James won his first-ever MVP award and it was the first of four Maurice Podoloff trophies he would take home.
We’ve seen some incredible feats from guys like Zion and Ja, but early and peak LeBron’s athleticism may have wowed me even more. twitter.com/ballislife/sta…
Ja Morant and Zion Williamson are both known for their athleticism and highlight dunks. However, anyone who has witnessed James in his early days in Cleveland would pick the four-time MVP in a heartbeat over the two 2019 draft picks.
Should LeBron James have won more MVP awards in his career?
LeBron James has the most "MVP Award shares" in NBA history. MVP shares are decided based on the votes the player receives in his career. Most superstars have finished in the top 10 of the award race multiple times but never received enough votes to earn the award.
Steph Curry is a two-time MVP with 2.655 MVP shares, while Chris Paul has never won the award but has 1.803 MVP shares. Kobe Bryant has won the award just once (2008) in his career but has 4.202 MVP shares, suggesting that he was deserving of a few more.
However, sitting in an echelon of his own is LeBron James with an NBA record of 8.814 MVP shares. The person second on the list is Michael Jordan (5x MVP) who has 8.115 MVP shares. James had several instances where he could have won the MVP award but was snubbed, due to either voter fatigue or media narratives.
In his rookie season, James was ninth in the league in MVP voting. He was sixth in the race in his sophomore season (2005) and then finished in the top-five for 13 consecutive seasons until 2018. James finished 11th in 2019 despite missing a huge chunk of the season due to a groin injury. He then bounced back in 2020 to finish second in the race behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and the lowest he ever finished was 13th in 2021.
How many MVP awards do you think LeBron should have? https://t.co/X9wHo33o8U
2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2020 are five such instances when a serious argument could be made for James to win the award.