DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Lebron to be name MVP Sunday

Not that we didn't already expect, but nice to see confirmed

Updated with details, 11:07 a.m. EDT

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James of the Cavaliers will become the 10th player in NBA history to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player Awards when results of the nationwide voting are announced on Sunday, sources have told The Plain Dealer.

James is expected to have a press conference at The University of Akron and accept the Maurice Podoloff Trophy and the Kia car that comes with the honor Sunday.

Last season, when James won for the first time, he accepted at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron.

James played numerous high school games at Akron's Rhodes Arena, is a supporter of the Zips basketball program and head coach Keith Dambrot, and holds his annual Nike camp for the top high school prospects at the university's facilities.

NBA Commissioner David Stern is expected for formally give James the trophy before Monday's Game 2 against the Boston Celtics at The Q.

At age 25, James becomes the second-youngest to win back-to-back MVPs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a couple of months younger when he won his back-to-back award in 1972. The others two win back-to-back are Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Abdul-Jabbar. Only Bird, Chamberlain and Russell ever won the award three years in a row.

Last year James won in a landslide, getting 109 of the first-place 121 votes given out to sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. This year, James is expected to approach winning the award unanimously.

However, several voters have said they did not plan to vote for James. This year the NBA also allowed fans to vote, with their preference to make up the 122nd vote. The results of the voting will be announced Sunday by the league.

James averaged 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game in leading the Cavs to a second consecutive 60-win season. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month four times during the season.

NBA Most Valuable Players

2008-09 LeBron James Cleveland
2007-08 Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
2006-07 Dirk Nowitzki Dallas
2005-06 Steve Nash Phoenix
2004-05 Steve Nash Phoenix
2003-04 Kevin Garnett Minnesota
2002-03 Tim Duncan San Antonio
2001-02 Tim Duncan San Antonio
2000-01 Allen Iverson Philadelphia
1999-00 Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers
1998-99 Karl Malone Utah
1997-98 Michael Jordan Chicago
1996-97 Karl Malone Utah
1995-96 Michael Jordan Chicago
1994-95 David Robinson San Antonio
1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon Houston
1992-93 Charles Barkley Phoenix
1991-92 Michael Jordan Chicago
1990-91 Michael Jordan Chicago
1989-90 Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers
1988-89 Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers
1987-88 Michael Jordan Chicago
1986-87 Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers
1985-86 Larry Bird Boston
1984-85 Larry Bird Boston
1983-84 Larry Bird Boston
1982-83 Moses Malone Philadelphia
1981-82 Moses Malone Houston
1980-81 Julius Erving Philadelphia
1979-80 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles
1978-79 Moses Malone Houston
1977-78 Bill Walton Portland
1976-77 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles
1975-76 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles
1974-75 Bob McAdoo Buffalo
1973-74 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee
1972-73 Dave Cowens Boston
1971-72 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee
1970-71 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee
1969-70 Willis Reed New York
1968-69 Wes Unseld Baltimore
1967-68 Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia
1966-67 Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia
1965-66 Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia
1964-65 Bill Russell Boston
1963-64 Oscar Robertson Cincinnati
1962-63 Bill Russell Boston
1961-62 Bill Russell Boston
1960-61 Bill Russell Boston
1959-60 Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia
1958-59 Bob Pettit St. Louis
1957-58 Bill Russell Boston
1956-57 Bob Cousy Boston
1955-56 Bob Pettit St. Louis

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Reading through that list....I'm shocked Shaq only had one MVP.

Bill, Wilt, Moses, Kareem, Larry, Magic, Michael...

Not too shabby of a group to be lumped in with!

Back-to-Back! Now let's pair that with a championship.

I saw he garnered 116/123 votes.

Who are the 7 people who didn't vote for him? He puts up God-like numbers, leads his team to the best record in the NBA and the Cavs were 1-something without him playing. He's easily the most un-selfish superstar in the league to boot.

Not the most valuable? What?

I know this sounds homer-ish, but the 7 people who didn't vote LBJ just showed how much they don't know about basketball and shouldn't have a right to be on the voting comittee. Seriously.

All the writers from Orlando, Boston and LA I would guess :P There's nobody in the league right now who deserves a first place vote more than LeBron does, and I don't think even the guys who didn't vote for him would argue that candidly. There were reports several writers were going to block him from getting the unanimous vote, looks like those were more than rumors.

He really could win it every year until he hits old age, but I'm sure they won't allow him to bogart the trophy like that and will give it to others who may not be as deserving to prevent him from surpassing former greats, out of spite, to give someone else some attention, any number of reasons.

Exactly my point. If the writers just show bias based on where they live or just don't want a unanimous winner, then they shouldn't have a vote.

Two of them gave LeBron 3rd place votes. Huh??

A belated, but extremely deserved Congratulations to LeBron

While LeBron should have gotten the first place votes, I can understand the argument for Kevin Durant (If that's who took the 7 votes away from LeBron).

As for the guys voted him 3rd....

Durant got 4, Howard got 3.

web page

Dwight Howard shouldn't have gotten any first place votes. That's just ridiculous. I can understand Durant, though.

In my opinion the only way you can vote for MVP this season unbiasedly and legitimately is to vote LeBron unanimously first, and Durant unanimously second, because that's exactly how their play was this year. Durant really came on this year but he sure didn't outplay LeBron, and Dwight Howard getting first place votes? What a joke. I wonder if there's any way to see who voted for who because I'd be willing to make a large bet that those voted Dwight got were from Orlando writers.

So it appears Bill Simmons is pretty upset and is promising to find out who voted with their asses and post it on his blog. Hopefully we'll know soon because I have a bet going that one of the 3rd place votes was the moron from AOL sports that said LeBron doesn't deserve MVP because he rested at the end of the season and the other person in the bet says the 2 3rd place votes were the 2 Orlando writers. It could go either way