LeBron James Thrashes NBA For Snubbing Him On A Deserving Award: “Still Pis*ed At Not Getting DPOY That Year”

Published 01/27/2022, 7:30 AM EST

In the 2013-14 NBA season, LeBron James took home the MVP trophy. However, he was not too happy about it as he felt snubbed for not winning the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Marc Gasol took home the DPOY award that season. LeBron James didn’t win, but he was in serious consideration for the award. James finished second in the race for the DPOY award. James genuinely felt that he had done more than enough on the defensive end of the court to win the DPOY award.

James was against this outcome. When asked about this incident, James replied “I mean, I guard everybody on the floor. I don’t know if there’s one player in NBA history who’s guarded one through five (positions). It’s over with now, but that’s cool.”

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In the same conversation, James also mentioned that “it sucks” about 20 times.

He took to Instagram and posted a story with the caption, “Still Pis*ed at Not Getting the DYOP That Year”, harkening back to his loss.

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Why LeBron James wanted to win the award

There have been only two players in the history of the NBA to win the MVP and DPOY in the same season. LeBron was on track to win the MVP in the 2013-14 season. He was the topmost candidate, and he wished to add to his legacy and join the legends as a player who won both MVP and DPOY in a single season.

The previous players to accomplish this feat were Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. The former achieved it in 1988, and the latter in 1994. This occurrence is very rare as it happens once in a blue moon. LeBron just wanted to add his name to another record and establish his legacy.

At that moment, LeBron had always been in serious consideration for DPOY. For five years straight, from 2009-13 he was always in the top 5 DPOY candidates. However, he was never the favorite candidate. Therefore, he never won the award.

In the 2013 season, James averaged 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Why was LeBron James snubbed?

Basketball is a team sport, and team effort needs to be prioritized. Marc Gasol left his heart out on the defensive end of the floor. It was because of him that the Grizzlies were No.1 defensively in the NBA. Whereas, the Heat were No.9 defensively.

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Marc Gasol was an obvious choice as he averaged 1,0 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 7.8 rebounds per game.

The Heat were considered to have a weak defense. Therefore, there is a rational explanation for why James wasn’t the perfect candidate.

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Do you think James should have won the 2013-14 DPOY award? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Abhinav Bhalla is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a 5th year law student and has had a passion for Basketball and NBA since his early childhood. He has competed at school, university and national levels himself, and has a deep analytical appreciation for the sport.

LeBron James Thrashes NBA For Snubbing Him On A Deserving Award: “Still Pis*ed At Not Getting DPOY That Year”

Why LeBron James wanted to win the award

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Why was LeBron James snubbed?