LeBron James is one of many players across NBA history who can make a credible case to have been snubbed for multiple MVP awards during his career.
Because of his team’s record, the narrative around him in a given season, or voter fatigue, the four MVPs James won are on the low end compared with his longevity and greatness. It comes as no surprise that James would think long and hard about the criteria and status of the MVP within the league.
This week on his podcast Mind the Game with Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers star brought up an alternative option for NBA awards.
“I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP,” James said. “I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP.”
Nash, a two-time MVP who revolutionized NBA offense during his prime years in Phoenix, perked up at the idea. By giving out two trophies, the league could reward greatness in a way that is less tied to team performance.
“You could be on a poor team, have an unbelievable offensive year and still win Offensive Player of the Year,” Nash suggested. “And vice versa, you could maybe not have the best player in the league, but you were the most valuable in taking your team to a new height.”
In the NFL, it is understood that MVP goes to quarterbacks and OPOY typically goes to the most dominant position player each season. Baseball’s MVP has been completely swallowed up by analytics, with a player like Mike Trout winning several trophies on middling teams. But in the NBA, the meaning of the most valuable player is hotly contested each season.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won several MVPs from the middle of the standings, while this year, Jokic lost out to the best player on the best team in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“It changes. It’s like, okay, 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,” LeBron James added. “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.”
Of course, an NBA OPOY could simply become a second-place trophy for MVP. It would take time for players to care about the new award and strive to win it.
But given that the NBA has, in recent years, added additional awards for the In-Season Tournament winner and the Clutch Player of the Year, a trophy for the best offensive player in a season hardly feels like a stretch.