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It’s LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and everyone else on NBA MVP Ladder 4.0

By Phil Watson

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 19: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hug following a game at Fiserv Forum on December 19, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 19: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hug following a game at Fiserv Forum on December 19, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo LeBron James
NBA Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

In version 4.0 of the NBA MVP Ladder, it remains a 2-player race between All-Star Game captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With the All-Star Weekend festivities upon us, it is also time for version 4.0 of the NBA Most Valuable Player Ladder, which is essentially unchanged from version 3.0 which was published four weeks ago.

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So the race has essentially boiled down to a two-man race between reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.

It makes sense these would be the two top candidates. Milwaukee has the best record in the NBA at the All-Star break at 46-8, still on pace for what would be just the third 70-win season in NBA history.

The Bucks have a 4½-game lead over the Western Conference-leading Lakers for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and are 6½ games ahead of the Toronto Raptors in the East.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are four games (five games in the loss column) clear of the second-place Denver Nuggets in the West.

The All-Star voters nailed this one, as James was the top vote-getter in the Western Conference with more than 6.27 million ballots cast. Antetokounmpo got the most votes of any player in the East with more than 5.90 million, finishing behind Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (more than 6.11 million).

The best players for the two best teams in the NBA battling it out for the MVP award. It’s almost like it should be this way.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the ladder — there are five players listed, who (a) can’t come from teams with sub-.500 records, must have played in at least 70 percent of their team’s games and have to average at least 30 minutes per game. Those standards come from examining past winners and voting.