LeBron James was nicknamed ‘The Chosen One’ by the time he was only 16. With the brewing expectation of taking over from Michael Jordan, he was then called “King James”. Beginning as a cover athlete and moving on to register four MVP titles to his name, Bron doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Playing his 21st season, the 38-year-old still wants to “have more than four.”

However, the question is: why is James the center of all the backlash even when he is putting up numbers that players in their mid-20s aren’t able to match?

Gil’s Arena on LeBron James and the MVP title

In a recent discussion on Gilbert Arenas’ YouTube channel, the crew broke down the question, “Does LeBron deserve to be in the MVP discussion?” It was this question that provoked Gilbert Arenas to address the elephant in the room as to why LeBron gets so much criticism. Arenas said, “The narrative around who’s the goat that has basically taken away everything that he has been doing for the last four to five years.” He adds, “There’s not even one superstar in our history that has done not even 25% of what he is doing at this age. But because the Jordan-LeBron thing is going on, everybody’s been paying attention to all the negative things about him instead of watching history.”

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Explicitly mentioning how the star guard has redefined longevity for the entire league, the crew addresses the fact that no matter what numbers he puts up on the scoreboard, his actions will be scrutinized to the minute details. Although the crew had an entire discussion about how his efforts were being discredited, they also took into consideration an important ‘if’.

According to the crew, LeBron would probably get less criticism if he retired for a year, let the fans miss his game, and then come back, similar to what Michael Jordan did after his 6th championship. However, the question still remains: “Can he enter the MVP discussion this year?”

LeBron James: In-season MVP?

There has been no goat so far who can claim to be the in-season tournament’s MVP. However, James can set another record for the ‘naysayers’ if he continues to play at the same pace. ‘The chosen one’ is legitimately making the case to register the title of in-season MVP in his name. Currently placed at No. 3 to win the award, Matthew Peterson’s latest ranking seems to do justice to the gameplay of the four-time NBA MVP.

Helping the Lakers to be 3-0 in the in-season tournament, the star is only trailing behind Tyrese Haliburton and Domantas Sabonis. However, the debate would stand no ground if the parameter of age was put into consideration. If the Lakers clinch a victory against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, then James would be advancing to the title by a significant leap.

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Disregarding the James vs. Jordan debate, we are looking at a player who still plays like he played like he did when he was 20. Do you hold the same views? Let us know your stand in the comment section below.

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