LeBron says he would vote himself for MVP

MIAMI– LeBron James had a pretty direct answer when asked who he thinks should be the league MVP this season.

“I would vote for me,” James told The Associated Press. “The body of work, how I’m doing it, what’s been happening with our team all year long, how we’ve got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me.”

It’s hard to blame James for thinking that way. In his 15th season, he is averaging 27.4 points on 54.8 percent shooting, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds.

As AP points out, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists during the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 when he won the MVP award four times.

“At this point in my career, I’m just trying to break the mold, break the narrative of guys in their 15th year. … I’m trying to do things that have never been done before,” James told AP. “It’s crazy because I’m not setting out to do it. It’s just kind of happening organically. I’m just training my body and training my mind and going out and playing and seeing what happens.”

All of this is made even more impressive when you consider all of the challenges the Cavs have faced this year, from injuries to roster changes. Under James’ leadership, they still hold onto the third spot in the East.

The league MVP is chosen by a panel of select media members, and according to Basketball Reference’s MVP Tracker, which uses a model built on previous voting results, Houston’s James Harden is the front-runner with a 72.4 percent chance of winning the award. James currently sits at third place behind Harden and Rockets teammate Chris Paul, with a 5.8 percent chance to win his fifth MVP Award.

But despite the odds, James still believes he is, and should be, in the running.

“I’ve said it,” James told AP. “Obviously, I’ve had some unbelievable seasons before, but I’ve said it: This is the best I can go, just from a complete basketball player standpoint.”

** Read the full AP story here.