LeBron James hypes up his former rival who shockingly stole his MVP award years ago

Modified at 16:19 GMT on October 5, 2023

LeBron James has no animosity toward Derrick Rose for the 2010-11 NBA MVP award, which many believe he deserves. While the MVP race has been a point of contention for many fans over the years, it all seems to be a thing of the past for James.

Recently, the future Hall of Famer took to Instagram to send Rose his token flowers for the upcoming season. With Rose set to serve as the Memphis Grizzlies’ backup point guard behind Ja Morant, there’s been a lot of discussion about Rose’s role as a veteran.

The team struggled with a lack of leadership last year, with Steven Adams reportedly chairing a team meeting about road conduct.

Adams, who has been in the league for ten seasons, is a respected voice in the locker room, and Rose’s emergence brings a new level of leadership. After celebrating his 35th birthday, Rose was praised by LeBron James on Instagram, posting a side-by-side photo with the former MVP.

A side-by-side photo of Rose in a Memphis jersey in college was shown, followed by a photo of him in a Grizzlies jersey in 2023. In the caption, James wrote “HIM” in a nod to his rival.

A look back at the 2010-11 NBA MVP battle between LeBron James and Derrick Rose

For years, there have been accusations that Derrick Rose “stole” the MVP award from LeBron James during the 2010-11 season. Despite this, James never mentioned it and even praised Rose’s performance.

Judging from their data, James has a slight advantage, averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Rose, on the other hand, averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Despite LeBron’s slight statistical advantage, Rose’s Chicago Bulls ended the season in first place.

Rose led the Bulls to a 62-20 record, swept the James-led Heat in the regular season, and led the Miami Heat to a 58-24 record. Rose was named NBA MVP. At the time, LeBron James talked about the situation.

As James told members of the media in late March 2011:

“I think (it’s) Derrick Rose. Everything he’s done for this team, even though they’ve been plagued by injuries, they’re No. 1 in the Eastern Conference — they’re playing really good basketball.”

The two even played on the same team in the years following the controversial MVP vote, and it’s safe to say there was no bad blood between the two. LeBron James is entering his 21st season and the two will now compete in the Western Conference with Rose playing for the Grizzlies.