James: Twenty years of MVP votes are left, and the competitive state is steady

When the results of the 2024-25 NBA regular season MVP votes were announced, LeBron James' name appeared in the sixth place again, which is the 20th time he has won the MVP vote in 22 seasons in his career. This number itself is a miracle - in the world of professional sports, which praises "the present is eternal", James has created an almost impossible mark on the MVP vote list with his outstanding performance for twenty years.

Open the NBA's long history scroll, and players who have won MVP votes 20 times have never existed before. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the original record for 19 seasons, and James not only surpassed this record, but also ranked among the forefront of MVP discussions at the age of 40. This persistence is a greatness in itself, and it goes beyond a single season outbreak and becomes the gold standard for measuring the value of a player's career.

It is particularly noteworthy that in the two seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24, James failed to receive any MVP votes for two consecutive years in his career. At that time, many critics believed that this marked James' formal withdrawal from the league's top players, after all, time is unforgiving. However, this season, the four-time MVP winner returned to the MVP discussion circle with an all-round performance of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of up to 51.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%. These data are no less than most young stars in the league.

James' performance this season is not only because of the impressive data, but also how he adapted and redefined his game style. At the age of 40, he reduced the number of strong attacks at the basket, but improved the accuracy of his outside shooting, and his three-point shooting percentage hit a career high. He is like a shrewd chess player, knowing when to exert force and when to preserve his strength, and still showing amazing dominance at critical moments of the game. This ability to constantly evolve is the key to distinguishing James from other stars.

From a historical perspective, James' MVP vote record reflects a simple but profound truth: in the fiercely competitive NBA league, it is easy to maintain the top level for a year, but it is almost impossible to maintain it for twenty years. Michael Jordan won 13 MVP votes in 15 seasons, Larry Bird won 11 in 13 seasons, Magic Johnson won 12 in 13 seasons - the achievements of these legends are already impressive, and James' 20 times opened up a whole new realm.

What's more amazing is that James' season span of winning MVP votes is unprecedented. From the rookie year in the 2003-04 season (gaining a fifth vote) to the 2024-25 season, it spanned a full twenty-one years. This means James has been in the spotlight almost since his first day in the league and has never really left. This persistence is almost extinct in modern sports, and it is even more valuable in the NBA, which is increasingly fierce in physical confrontation with increasingly fast game pace.

The return of James' MVP vote this season has also broken people's inherent perception of athletes' age. Traditionally, basketball players' peak period is between 28 and 32 years old, and then there is an inevitable decline. James proved with his own performance that age is just a number, and the real greatness lies in how to constantly adjust, adapt and surpass himself. He redefined the life cycle of professional athletes by spending millions of dollars a year to maintain his body, study nutrition, and improve his training methods.

When we talk about James returning to the sixth place in the MVP vote this season, we are actually talking about a phenomenon that surpasses basketball. This is not only an athlete's performance, but also a manifestation of professional spirit, an attitude towards endless pursuit of excellence. In NBA history, no player has been able to maintain such a high level of competitive level over such a long span, and James' existence itself is a gift to basketball.

Perhaps, James will never win another MVP trophy, but he can still be in the MVP discussion at the age of 40, which is even more dazzling than the achievements of many players throughout their careers. His story tells us that greatness does not lie in temporary glory, but in persistence; not in instant flash, but in long-term burn. In a contemporary society that pursues quick success and instant satisfaction, James's career is like a beacon, reminding us of the standard of true excellence.

When future basketball historians look back at this era, they may not remember the specific ranking of the 2024-25 MVP votes, but they will remember how a player named LeBron James has continuously redefined the possibilities of basketball for a quarter of a century. And this is far more precious than the MVP honor in any single season.