LeBron James humbly accepts third MVP trophy - OrlandoSentinel.com http://www.orlandosentinel.com/fl-miami-heat-news-0513-201205...
orlandosentinel.com/fl-miami-heat-news-0513-20120512,0,3456951.story OrlandoSentinel.com
LeBron James humbly accepts third MVP trophy
By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel
4:29 PM EDT, May 12, 2012
MIAMI
LeBron James recalled a conversation with his high advertisement school coach 13 years ago.
That was when St. Vincent-St.Mary coach Keith Dambrot told James something he never expected to accomplish.
“He told me as a ninth-grader, ‘You’re going to be the best basketball player in the world,”’ James said. “At 14, I’m like, ‘Ok, whatever, you’re making me run still?’ I never thought it would be possible. I never thought I’d have an MVP trophy.”
James on Saturday was named the NBA’s most valuable player for the third time in the last four years. He is just the eighth three-time winner of the award, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone.
“It’s amazing to think about it in that sense — three in four years,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “And there could have been one last year. It just shows how great of a talent, how great of a player that he is. Obviously, as an organization, we’re excited, especially coming off of last season and everything that happened and was said.”
For James, it was an emotional day. He said he was more nervous than any time he’s been on the basketball court. He broke down a few times, telling a story of how his publicist usually prepares statements for him at such events.
James instead spoke from the heart during his acceptance speech.
“I see my two sons, I do what I do and I try to perform at the highest level every night, and a big part of the reason is those guys,” James said. “I don’t want to let them down. Secondly, my teammates, like I said. The reason I’m up here today is because of those guys. If those guys don’t sacrifice what they sacrifice every single night ... I wouldn’t be up here.”
James then asked all of his teammates to join him on the stage. He thanked each one of them.
1 of 2 5/13/12 7:58 AM LeBron James humbly accepts third MVP trophy - OrlandoSentinel.com http://www.orlandosentinel.com/fl-miami-heat-news-0513-201205...
“These 14 guys right here, they give everything,” James said. “And they give me everything.”
James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists, putting together arguably one of the best individual seasons in league history. He also shot 53 percent from the field, leading the Heat to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami begins its second-round series against the Indiana Pacers Sunday.
“It’s a very special day for the organization, a special day for LeBron,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We feel so honored to be a part of this … It’s been absolutely historic.”
Heat president Pat Riley said James is deserving of being mentioned in the exclusive group of NBA greats. He compared James to the likes of Abdul-Jabbar, Bird and Johnson.
“They were fearless when it came to putting it out there night in and night out when a lot of us don’t understand and know what they’re going through,” Riley said. “I appreciate that, I respect that and I don’t know.”
The only hardware missing from James’ trophy case is an NBA title. He and Steve Nash are the only current MVPs without a championship. Retired superstars Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and Karl Malone all won the regular-season honor, but never a title.
“I want that championship,” James said. “That all that matters to me.”
Copyright © 2012, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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