The players will vote on their own set of awards this season, which was something instituted by union executive director Michele Roberts at least partly because it’s something the players want.
The bigger reason for this is Roberts’ desire to continue to gain support among players in advance of the next round of collective bargaining agreement negotiations, and players have made it clear that there’s an increasing level of disdain for the media, who vote on the league’s official end-of-season awards.
LeBron James weighed in on this new development, and gave his opinion on this year’s MVP race, as well. He wasn’t shy about who he would vote for if given the chance.
From Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com:“Guys are going to be able to recognize the guys they play against every night and what they do for their franchises,” LeBron James, who recently was elected as vice president of the union, said Wednesday. ...
“The media has done a great job every single year picking the awards. But us players get to see the guys every single day, so it’s a longer conversation.”
James said that players can’t vote for themselves for awards. But who would his vote be for MVP this year?
“Myself,” James said.
LeBron’s response shouldn’t come as any surprise.
Stephen Curry said the same thing earlier this season, before ultimately going with James once he removed himself from the conversation.