Second in the NBA MVP vote, awarded to Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday, LeBron James said he was “upset” by the result. The Lakers star castigates the criteria taken into account by the league.
Lakers superstar LeBron James may have already been four times best player of the season in the NBA, he did not appreciate the vote that voted Giannis Antetkounmpo for the MVP title at his expense on Friday. “Out of 101 votes, 16 placed me in first position. It made me ch … more than anything,” he confided after a good evening, however, since it coincided with a first victory against Denver in the Western Conference final (126-114).
“I am pissed”
“I have finished second on several occasions in my career, both in the league (6 finals lost) and now four times for the MVP title. I never asked for them to be given to me. said I wanted to get better every day and it would. But some things are out of my control. So I’m pissed off, “he added.
Earlier, he had learned that the regular season MVP trophy, taking into account individual performances until March 11, when the championship was interrupted due to the coronavirus, had been awarded to Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee). Quite overwhelming since the Greek winger succeeded himself on the list by collecting 85 votes for 1st place.
“It pissed me off.”—LeBron on this year’s MVP voting pic.twitter.com/K2qTY2QaRS
– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 19, 2020
Better stats for Antetokounmpo
If James insisted on asserting that he did not “contest the great season” of his young rival in any way, he felt that the gap between them was not representative of how the season has unfolded. In terms of numbers, since this data is essential in the choice of voting journalists, Antetokounmpo compiled 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists, when James, quadruple MVP (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013) has accumulated 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.
“I’m not going to start saying what criteria should be chosen or what they are, it’s changed so much since I’ve been in the league … Sometimes he’s the best player on the best team, sometimes he’s the guy with the best stats … “he said. “But I do not know how much, we really watch basketball there, or if we are in a narrative mode, in a story”, he added again, inducing without going further that the choice could have rested on springs other than that of the game.
