Accolades are something that LeBron James has plenty of throughout his 22 years in the NBA. As he prepares for his 23rd year, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to win another championship with him to cap off his historic career.
In today’s NBA discourse, awards and rings tend to warrant conversation surrounding the best players. Unfortunately though, there are so many great players that it is impossible for all of them to be recognized with awards and accolades.
That makes the league special due to the diverse array of talent and the debates that stem from it. That prompted James to bring up an interesting proposition of adding another award, like an Offensive Player of the Year, similar to the NFL, he said on his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash:
“I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP… It changes. It’s like, OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player who had the best season with their team? Maybe that’s Offensive Player of the Year. Or is it just simply the best player in the league, statistically this was the best player in the league. Obviously you’re not going to have someone in there whose team didn’t come close to making the playoffs … it’s not the most valuable, then.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously demonstrated a willingness to add to the league, whether it be new tournaments or awards. In recent years he notable added the Clutch Player of the Year award and revamped all six award trophies by attaching a legend’s name to them.
So, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Silver to revisit this topic and add more to the collection. However, more pressing issues are at the forefront, particularly with expansion and adding multiple teams to new markets.
Allowing more opportunities for players to get recognized for their talents is never a bad thing, and adding another award is a potential solution. Having won every other award, James knows how tough it is and wants to see more of his peers get recognized for their greatness.
LeBron James expected to be with Lakers at start of training camp
This summer has been a busy one for LeBron James as he picked up his $52.6 player option but still put his future with the Lakers in question with statements from Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul questioning the team’s ability to compete.
Despite endless speculation though, it appears James will remain in L.A. to begin his 23rd NBA season and eighth with the Lakers.
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