It doesn’t take common sense to realize the inevitable. In a few weeks, Lebron James will be hoisting another bronze trophy with the Miami Heat, making him the fifth player in NBA history to win four or more regular-season MVP awards.
The question is, does that feat just place him in rarefied air or make him the NBA’s next heir?
Ask Michael Jordan and he might say not so fast. For him, the next up is a man with rings like Kobe Bryant, but there’s a problem with that.
If you refuse to overlook a hand full of rings when rating the best doing it, you have to realize that the Mamba’s grip on the league is loose. His era is pretty much over and for the most part, its final members are struggling just to make the playoffs on their way out. Bryant’s the last of a dead breed, and his Achilles tear has him reluctantly hanging his crown on the arm of the throne.
It was a good run, but Bryant is about to have company. So will Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Russell on their Mount Rushmore of MVP — and the face being etched belongs to a player hitting his prime, one that led his team on a historic run, broke shooting records and admittedly has all of the league’s young bucks looking up to him.
With the boulder off his shoulders, King James looks poised to put bracelets on the throne for years to come.
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Richard Nurse is a Miami Heat columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr.
