LeBron James is in the MVP conversation practically every single season, and the Cavs star apparently believes he should be the winner most years.
On the "Hoop Collective" podcast, ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst revealed James' mindset when it comes to the award. It's worth noting Windhorst has covered James extensively throughout his career, so he's a solid source on this sort of information.
NBA DRAFT MISTAKES: Every team's ugliest, most painful regret
Here's what Windhorst said about James:
“[The Derrick Rose MVP year] is where this started with LeBron. LeBron felt like he should have won the MVP that year. It was the only time in a five-year run that he didn’t win the MVP. But he was so beaten down by the media and by the fans after 'The Decision,' that he just sort of took it on the chin. And I think he’s always regretted it.
... In his mind, he believes he probably should have won like 8 of the last 10 MVPs.
... Even his first year [back] in Cleveland where his back was bothering him for a while, and he missed a couple of weeks in the middle of the season, and his stats were kind of down. He believed that everything he had to do to carry that team and deal with David Blatt — he believed that he still deserved it.”
CAVS NEWS: Cleveland working against history
The reason this topic is brought up is because James recently said he'd vote for himself to win MVP. His response raised some eyebrows in the NBA community because it's pretty rare to hear a player openly say he'd vote for himself to win, but others respected James' honesty.
What's interesting is how Windhorst says this has been something on James' mind in recent years. When Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in 2016, James finished third behind Curry and Kawhi Leonard. Windhorst claims James was "pissed" about placing third that year.
James has been named MVP four times (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), but he's been a top-five vote-getter for 12 straight seasons.
