When Kendrick Perkins once told LeBron James he was picking Giannis Antetokounmpo for the MVP award, the former was quick to respond.

According to The Athletic, Perkins had sent a text to James saying he picked Giannis ahead in the MVP race. James responded by saying he would reclaim his throne.

“I sent him a text and I said. ‘Look man, I’ve got Giannis ahead of you,’” Kendrick Perkins said. “And that’s when he texted me back and said, ‘Oh don’t worry, I’m gonna reclaim my throne.’ And I was like, ‘OK, well then do it mothaf**ka.’ He’s like, ‘I am, mothaf**ka.’”

Perkins has now changed his choice to LeBron James from Giannis Antetokounmpo

James, in his 17th season, has certainly brought out strong performances, bringing him in contention to the MVP award. He, along with Anthony Davis, has led the Los Angeles Lakers in their quest to win the title. Prior to the league’s suspension, the Lakers were on top of the Western Conference with only the Milwaukee Bucks having a better record in the league.

James, 35, was leading the assists per game before the league’s suspension with 10.6 assists per game. To add to it, he has averaged 25.7 points per game on 49.8 percent shooting from the field, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

However, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who was leading in the MVP discussions earlier in the season. However, recent performances from James lifted him among the contenders. Giannis had started the season where he left last season. After winning the MVP but missing out on the NBA championship, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks started the 2019/20 season strongly.

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With 29.6 points per game shooting 54.7 from field goals and 13.7 rebounds per game, Antetokounmpo has led the Bucks to the best record in the NBA this season. While his performances have certainly been worthy of a second consecutive MVP, James’ recent performances started a debate.

Perkins himself, who had earlier selected Antetokounmpo as his MVP choice, later picked James. He had an interesting take last month about why LeBron James should be ahead of his Bucks counterpart.