NBA MVP race looks to be wide open in reshuffled league hierarchy

LeBron James is a four-time NBA MVP, but he is now six seasons removed from his last win in 2012-13 and is at an age where players seldom contend for the award.

A Christmas Day groin injury wrecked his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19 and, in entering his age-35 season, he is now in a demographic that has produced exactly one previous MVP winner — Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz was 35 when he was named MVP in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.

Were James to win this season, he would slot right behind Malone was the second-oldest MVP in NBA history and the oldest in a full season, beating out Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98 by almost 10 months.

James still has the game, when healthy, to be in the discussion for the award. Last season in 55 games, he averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 35.2 minutes per game while shooting 51.0 percent overall and 33.9 percent on a career-high 5.9 3-point attempts per game.

His free throw shooting cratered to a career-worst 66.5 percent, however.

James is not the defensive force he once was, but he is still the focal point of the offense wherever he plays and will be that again in 2019-20 in Los Angeles.

Barring some sort of complete collapse in his skill set, James will be a factor in the MVP race once again.