NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 05: NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson speaks during the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Player of the Year press conference prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

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LeBron James (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect: 20. LeBron James, 2019-20

It felt as though a shift at the top of the food chain was officially taking place. For the better part of a decade, LeBron James ruled over the NBA as its unquestioned best player. Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, quietly chased him down. It seemed as though he officially surpassed him one year prior, as Antetokounmpo took home the league MVP. He took home the hardware yet again, and by a considerable margin.

The voters couldn’t exactly be blamed. The “Greek Freak” set career highs in points per game with 29.5 and rebounds per game with 13.6. The Bucks, seemingly like always, were terrific during the regular season, winning 56 games. But for as great as Antetokounmpo was, James should’ve taken the MVP.

Admittedly, a player shouldn’t be given an award based on the storyline, but an exception should’ve been made.

At the age of 35, and coming off an injury-riddled prior season where his Los Angeles Lakers failed to make the playoffs, James heard every disparaging word in the book. He ignored all of the outside noise and put together a great year. James led the Lakers to the number one seed in the Western Conference. In doing so, he poured in 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and led the league with 10.2 assists.

After watching the Bucks flame out quickly in the second round of the playoffs and witnessing James and the Lakers run through the competition to the tune of his fourth title, voters should wish they could do that one over.