LeBron James is entering his 21st NBA season, and the Los Angeles Lakers have strengthened his supporting cast this offseason. The 38-year-old has proven that he can still keep up with the league’s best players, and the MVP award would bring another chip in the GOAT battle between him and Michael Jordan.
Last season, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 55 games. As many say, Father Time is undefeated, but the four-time NBA champion keeps delaying the inevitable.
James has won the MVP award four times, but the last time he won the MVP was in 2013. As the oldest player in the league, the 19-time NBA All-Star has a good chance of adding another MVP award to his trophy room. .
Why LeBron James could win his fifth NBA MVP award
The Los Angeles Lakers are this year’s championship contenders, and most MVPs are chosen from the teams with the best season in the NBA.
On that note, here are three reasons why LeBron James could win the 2024 NBA Most Valuable Player Award
#1 Chasing Michael Jordan
LeBron James has made it clear he wants to hunt down the “ghost” of Michael Jordan. This means he will try his best to be considered the best basketball player in history.
Jordan has five MVPs, while James has four. Another MVP title will once again spark discussion of the GOAT in basketball.
#2 Better Supporting Characters
The Los Angeles Lakers have made a huge jump in the NBA Western Conference after trading Russell Westbrook. They finished seventh in the Western Conference and made the playoffs before being defeated in the Western Conference Finals by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
When the Lakers turned things around at the trade deadline, they were arguably the best team in the league. Adding Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Jackson Hayes to the existing core could add depth so Los Angeles can win more games than last season .
If the Lakers enter the top three in the Western Conference, James is likely to be the focus of MVP this season.
#3 Break the record
Lyndon Johnson won the NBA MVP in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, but he hasn’t won the top individual award in a decade. If he wins again, he will join Michael Jordan and Bill Russell with five championships.
LeBron James will tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most MVP seasons, but he will be remembered more as the player who won the award in three different decades.