After his Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the first-ever NBA Cup, LeBron James was named the winner of the inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP award. Commissioner Adam Silver joked that the trophy “didn’t come with a franchise,” alluding to James’s long-standing wish to own a Las Vegas expansion team. In his case, though, the greatest player of his generation will have to make do with another trophy.
The four-time regular-season MVP saved his best for Las Vegas, as the 21-year-old NBA veteran finished the tournament with an average of 26.4 points, eight rebounds, and 7.6 assists in seven total tournament games. James scored 30 points on 9 of 12 shots in just 23 minutes of play during the Lakers’ semifinal round matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. Although he wasn’t quite as outstanding on Saturday, the Lakers overcame Indiana thanks in large part to his 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Up to the very end, the MVP competition was exciting. Tyrese Haliburton, a star player for the Pacers who unexpectedly led Indiana to the tournament final against a strong Eastern Conference field, was James’ main opponent for MVP throughout the competition. The Pacers advanced to the championship game by defeating Boston and Milwaukee, the favorites in the Eastern Conference, but on Saturday they simply couldn’t muster enough against the Lakers.
Anthony Davis, who made a late push for the MVP title, was the main cause of that. In the championship game, he outplayed Indiana with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. James described his standout teammate’s performance as “Shaq-like.”
In his remarkable NBA career, James has won 12 total MVP awards. In addition to four regular-season honors, he has also won three All-Star game MVPs, four Finals MVP trophies, and now the inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP. James not only won the $500,000 that comes with winning this tournament, but he also won its highest individual honor after talking about his desire to do so for weeks.
