LeBron James Proposes New NBA Award For Offensive Player Of The Year
The NBA's criteria for the MVP award have always been extremely subjective, especially since several individuals from the media cast their votes to reach a democratic solution on the matter. To address this subjectivity, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James proposed that the league follow suit with the NFL and introduce a new award.
On an episode of the "Mind The Game" podcast with Steve Nash, James floated the idea of the "Offensive Player of the Year" award, similar to the NFL. He rationalized this idea by saying:
"I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP."
The NFL uses distinct criteria to determine each award's recipient. But there was something in this that drew Nash's attention. He chimed in, saying:
"You could be on a poor team, have an unbelievable offensive year, and still win Offensive Player of the Year. And vice versa, you could maybe not have the best player in the league, but you were the most valuable in taking your team to a new height."
The issue with the MVP award lies in the definition of "value", a term that doesn't necessarily equate to "best" player at any point in time. In this regard, the narrative presented by James has some basis in reality.
"It's like, OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player who had the best season with their team? Maybe that's Offensive Player of the Year," James continued. "Or is it just simply the best player in the league? Statistically, this was the best player in the league. Obviously, you're not going to have someone in there whose team didn't come close to making the playoffs … it's not the most valuable, then."
James' proposition certainly presents an interesting perspective. When considering some of the most gifted offensive players in the league, they may not impact winning the same as some other players might. Similarly, some players may be immensely successful with their teams, but their statistical contributions may not necessarily reflect that.
This year's MVP race would be a great case for the distribution of these awards. Although it remains up for debate, some would argue that Nikola Jokic was a superior individual performer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who eventually won the award, while also securing the top seed in the West.
Gilgeous-Alexander's individual accomplishments also impacted his team's success, eventually helping the Oklahoma City Thunder secure the NBA title.
In many ways, the Thunder guard's performance also challenges James' proposition, illustrating that the "best" player can also be the "most valuable" player in some cases. But considering that the idea itself presents an opportunity for several players to get recognized for their efforts and capabilities, it may be worth taking into consideration.This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Raiders optimistic Chip Kelly will revive offense and end rotating door at OC
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The fact so many Raiders offensive players have talked up Chip Kelly as their new coordinator is not surprising. It's training camp, after all, and optimism abounds throughout NFL camps. But when someone from the other side of the ball notices what's going on with the new schemes and game plans, that's more of an attention-grabber. 'We really don't know ever what he's about to throw at us, so it keeps us on our toes," defensive tackle Jonah Laulu said. "Then when we attack them, they come back the next day with something new. It's a great formula for success.' Las Vegas is under its fifth offensive coordinator in four years due to a rotating door at head coach. The last time the Raiders had any semblance of stability at OC was when Greg Olson ran the offense from 2018-21. First-year Raiders coach Pete Carroll hired Olson to be the team's quarterbacks coach right after he made the splashy move to bring in Kelly. The 61-year-old Kelly last year was the offensive coordinator of Ohio State's national championship team. He came to national prominence as the innovative head coach at Oregon from 2009-12, leading the Ducks to a 46-7 record and title-game appearance in the 2010 season. Kelly then had a mixed bag of results in NFL stops at Philadelphia and San Francisco and back in college at UCLA before going back to being a play-caller and guiding the Buckeyes' offense. Now he's doing the same in Las Vegas. 'This is such a good group to coach,' Kelly said. 'They want to be coached. They're thirsty for knowledge. When you go into the meeting room, there's a little buzz and there's an excitement. It's not like, 'Oh, God, we're in camp. What we do here?' It's special when you get an opportunity to be on (an) NFL roster, and I think these guys are really taking advantage of it.' Offensive lineman Thayer Munford said Kelly is willing to make changes if something doesn't work, that he isn't stuck trying to force a system onto the players. 'We're not pointing fingers at each other," Munford said. "We're here to bring each other up and push each other forward. Not every team's like this, either. I've been on a couple teams that you point at them, and they get down in the dumps and the next day they go to crap. This coach is different.' Kelly has the demanding task of improving an offense that was fourth worst last season with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with a 79.8-yard average. The Raiders traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and drafted running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall to put some much-needed life into the offense. 'I think Chip has done a great job with implementing his style of play,' Smith said. 'We want to be tough, we want to be physical, we want to attack the line of scrimmage. ... We got a lot of great weapons on offense, so he's putting the guys in positions to make plays.' Will Kelly get it done? There is valid reason to believe Las Vegas' offense will be better, but whether it can take a big enough step to actually compete for a playoff spot in an AFC West in which the Raiders' three rivals made the postseason last year is another matter. But no games have been played, so optimism prevails for the Raiders. 'I played (Ohio State) my last college game in the first round of playoffs, and they beat us bad,' said rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Tennessee. "So being able to play in this offense, I see why they did that.' Smith shines in mock game Smith threw touchdown passes on all four drives he quarterbacked in Saturday's mock game at Allegiant Stadium that the Raiders said drew about 18,000 fans. He completed TD passes of 8 and 11 yards to tight end Brock Bowers, 19 yards to Thornton and 50 to Phillip Dorsett in leading the Raiders' starting offense against their backup defense. Smith also ran for a two-point conversion. Maxx Crosby returned a strip sack of Aidan O'Connell 70 yards for a touchdown. Tom Brady, who owns a minority stake in the Raiders, watched from the sideline. He also attended Friday's practice at the team's Henderson, Nevada, facility. Raiders lose safety to 'significant' injury Safety Lonnie Johnson was carted off with an injury to his lower right leg. 'I don't know all the details, but it's significant,' Carroll said. Johnson has worked mostly with the second team this training camp, but was in the with starters in the mock game as part of a three-safety look. ___ AP NFL:
Los Angeles Times
26 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Lakers' commitment to Luka Doncic raises questions about LeBron James' role
Near the conclusion of the news conference to address his contract extension with the Lakers, Luka Doncic detailed the training program that contributed to his striking weight loss. When he was finished talking about how he lifted weight and refrained from playing basketball for a month, general manager Rob Pelinka made it a point to offer some thoughts. 'Luka's done all the work,' Pelinka said, 'but it's important to have a support system around you to help you do the great work.' Pelinka went on to praise Doncic's trainer, Anze Macek, and physiotherapist, Javier Barrio. He remarked how Macek and Barrio have 'worked seamlessly' with the Lakers' staff. He name-checked Doncic's agent, Bill Duffy, and business manager, Lara Beth Seager. These weren't garden-variety compliments. This was a pledge of allegiance. Shortly after Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers last season, stories emerged about tensions between his inner circle and former team. Pelinka's words contained an indirect message: We will support you the way Mavericks didn't. This is your team. The commitment was formalized on Saturday, the Lakers signing the 26-year-old Doncic to a three-year, $165-million contract extension. The news conference ended with seven Lakers players and coach JJ Redick emerging from the back to take a picture with Doncic as he held up his jersey. A couple of the players, center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart, were personally recruited to the team by Doncic. Doncic is now officially the center of the Lakers' universe, and as inevitable as that seemed from the moment Pelinka acquired him, the dynamic intensifies a question that was initially raised last season: What does this mean for LeBron James? Too much shouldn't be made of James' absence from the news conference on Saturday, as Austin Reaves wasn't there either. However, James is under contract for just one more season and Doncic for at least three more, and how will James deal with not being the focal point of his franchise? James is a player who is used to exercising boundless influence over teams that employ him, enough to where the 17-time NBA champion Lakers drafted his undersized son. While the Lakers once had visions of Anthony Davis replacing James as the face of their franchise, the imaginary baton was never passed. The Lakers didn't make as big a deal of Davis' extension two years ago as they did with Doncic's on Saturday, for which a Doncic-themed photo gallery was erected for the news conference. There's an uneasy feeling about the situation, in large part because James hasn't clearly communicated his thoughts. When James exercised his player option for the upcoming season, his agent said that because James wanted to play for championships and the Lakers were 'building for the future,' their camp wanted 'to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.' The 40-year-old James will have a say in what happens, as his deal includes a no-trade provision. Asked how James viewed the Lakers' summer and whether he thought James would retire with the team, Pelinka replied, 'So all the interactions we've had with LeBron and his camp, [agent Rich Paul] in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great. The dialogue with him has been open and constant. 'In terms of LeBron's career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family's decision in terms of how long he's going to play. I think that's first and foremost and we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. I think that's really important, but if he had a chance to retire at Laker, that would be great.' In other words, there wasn't enough clarity for Pelinka to be able to say with any degree of certainty, yes, he thought James would retire a Laker. Doncic accepted an offer from the Lakers to be their next headliner. That was an important development for them. But for them to be able to properly showcase their next act, they will have to close their previous one, whether it's by him accepting a supporting role or deciding to take his talents elsewhere.
New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
These Giants have plenty of reasons to make you believe again
There are always reasons for optimism in the first week of August, in every NFL city, every NFL season. Even in East Rutherford, N.J. When you disgrace the uniform with a 3-14 season, there will be the usual causes for concern: Can LT Andrew Thomas stay healthy long enough to anchor an offensive line ravaged by injury a year ago. How much does Russell Wilson have left? How much of an upgrade over Daniel Jones can he be? Can defensive coordinator Shane Bowen step up to improve the run defense? And that Murderers' Row September schedule? Fuhgeddaboudit! If you can. Advertisement But as the preseason opener in Buffalo beckons next Saturday, I am finding more reasons for optimism than I expected when Giants training camp opened.
