In news that should have surprised no one, the NBA announced yesterday (Monday May 4) that LeBron James is officially the league’s 2009 Most Valuable Player. As the AP put it:

“An MVP vote some expected to be close was another slam dunk by James. He received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members in the U.S. and Canada.

Bryant, last year’s winner, got two first-place votes and finished with 698 points. Miami guard Dwyane Wade was third with 680 points and was named first on seven ballots. Orlando center Dwight Howard (328) was fourth followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul (192).”

Considering this year’s class it’s no small achievement to be crowned the best, and the spot was one LeBron took quick claim to almost immediately as last season ended.

He went to Beijing in the offseason with the rest of the Redeem Team as a clear cut leader (along with Kobe) and his very vocal acceptance of that role along with his freakish abilities were key in helping push the U.S team to winning their first Olympic gold medal since 2000.

LeBron and the 2008 U.S. Redeem Team enjoy their Gold Medals.

Then he came into the season with a renewed focus not often seen in someone his age. Determined to make up for a disappointing year that saw the Cavaliers lose to the eventual champion Boston Celtics after a mediocre 45 win regular season, LeBron led his team to an NBA best 66 wins and a 39-2 home record. That’s no small feat, considering hardly anyone predicted it and his supporting cast wasn’t as talented on paper as that of other favorites. In a testament to his leadership skills and great passing ability, he was able to turn his team into a cohesive unit that played to their absolute best almost every night.

He wanted to improve as a defender, free throw and jump shooter, all facets of his game that had been a favorite of his critics. He succeeded in all three categories (he’s still no Reggie Miller) but most markedly in his defense.

LeBron’s improved jump shot helped the Cavs get 21 more wins than last year, including this buzzer-beater against the Warriors.

His defense improved so much so that he is the biggest offensive/defensive combo since Michael Jordan won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. If it weren’t for Dwight Howard’s monstrous defensive year, LeBron would have no doubt won that award too, as seen by his second place finish.

It was all part of King James plan, and pardon the pun, this was his individual coronation. His career numbers of 27 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds a game, which were already amazing, have improved in almost every single category this year. He shot a career best 49% from the field, 78% from the charity stripe and 34% from beyond the arc. His blocks and assists were up and his turnovers went down. His hustle and tenacity on defense created a new talking point and stat for NBA fans, his patented “chasedowns,” where he would pursue an opponent down the floor for what they thought was an easy lay-up and emphatically swat it away.

LeBron James “Chasedown” Blocks 2009 Video Collection

One of the most enjoyable things about seeing LeBron this year was watching him finally start to develop into the complete player he can be. You’ll be hard pressed to find a player in NBA history blessed with the talents he has. Think about this for a second, especially all my video game heads with created players on their 2k9 or Live; He’s 6 feet 8 inches tall, weighs anywhere from 250 to 270 pounds and he’s arguably the game’s quickest perimeter player.

Think Karl Malone’s body with Jordan’s athleticism and quickness plus some of Kevin Garnett and Scottie Pippen’s versatility, length and defense thrown in and you get LeBron James. The best part about it, especially for Cleveland fans, is this guy is the real deal.

In case you didn’t notice, LeBron reminds you that he’s pretty strong.

At 24 years old, he is already among the youngest ever to win the award and is most likely David Stern’s superstar dream come true. Ever since Jordan retired the league was hard-pressed to find an engaging, loveable star. Kevin Garnett was too intense (see: crazy), Kobe was too polarizing and unlikable, Dirk Nowitki was too bland, Wade injured too often, Carmelo and Iverson too immature, etc.

James has filled that void not only with his all-around on the court efficiency but with his personality and image. From his “Witness” campaign to his King James nickname and his trademark pre-game chalk routine, everyone in the world knows who he is and a lot of people like him. He’s already second in the NBA in jersey sales behind Kobe, and when you take Cleveland’s small-market status into account that’s an even bigger testament to his star power. He doesn’t play for the Yankees, Cowboys, Lakers or Knicks, so there’s no long basketball tradition or built-in franchise bandwagon numbers to pump up his sales.

LeBron takes off for another monster dunk.

When he’s not dominating the rest of the league with his nightly triple-double threat, he’s making underhanded half court shots for fun or being one of the most lighthearted superstars with goofy commercials and an excellent teammate.

The clincher for his MVP credentials come in the form of a common misconception among the NBA, and that’s a player’s clutch factor. The popular opinion is that there’s no better closer in the game than Kobe Bryant, a sign that reputation might play a bigger role than reality when it comes to being clutch. According to 82games.com, it turns out that in the last five full regular and playoff seasons, along with portions of the 08-09 season into February, there has been no player with more game winners than … LeBron James.

In addition to hitting the most game-winners with 17, he also shot a percentage that’s high for those situations (34%). That’s three more game winners than Kobe’s 14 and a percentage much higher than Kobe’s 25% or the league-wide 29%.

When you combine his team’s best record with his clutch abilities and his scoring, passing, rebounding and defensive skills, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the best basketball player on the planet. There’s only one other goal left on LeBron’s wish list this year – an NBA championship – and given what we’ve seen from him so far, a trip to the Finals and a possible collision course meeting with last year’s MVP Kobe seems very likely. If that happens get ready for a showdown that just may tip the best player argument in someone’s favor. I got my money on the King.

- Will.

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