by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni
Only four players in NBA history have ever won four or more MVP awards — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four) — and pretty soon, LeBron James will expand the group.
LeBron is set to become just the second player to win four MVPs in a five-year span (the other being Bill Russell.) Even James — currently putting the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable individual and team seasons of all time — is amazed by what he’s about to accomplish.
Per Fox Sports:
“Anytime I’m mentioned with the greatest players to play the game or people period, it is a wow factor because I grew up and studied those guys and watched those guys, and a few of those guys were my inspiration growing up,” James said. […] The Heat (60-16), who reached 60 wins in a season for just the second time in team history, are resting players down the stretch as they have the NBA’s top overall seed all but locked up. Sitting out Saturday were guard Dwyane Wade, who missed a fourth straight game due to a sore ankle and knee, and center Chris Bosh, who had a sore knee. It remains to be seen what the final victory total will be by Miami, which is one shy of equaling the team record for wins set when the 1996-97 Heat went 61-21. But the MVP race is over.
“If I’m fortunate enough to do that, it would be an unbelievable feat,” James said. “I know where I’ve come from, a small city in Akron, Ohio, and what I’ve built over the years. And I would give a lot of credit like I always do to my teammates and coaches that I had before I got to the NBA and how that allows me to do things that I do on the floor. We got a long way to go before those votes are in, but if I am awarded that award then I’m excited about it again and very humbled and very blessed about it.”
The 28-year old LeBron James will have plenty of time to add to his trophy collection. Both Pat Riley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar think LBJ could challenge Cap’s record six MVPs:
Even Abdul-Jabbar knows his record could be in jeopardy. Asked earlier this season if James could break it, he responded through his publicist, “He might.”
