King James Gospel
Fansided

LeBron James named 2018 DraftKings MVP

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced.) LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 21, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced.) LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 21, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James is the 2018 DraftKings MVP.

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James has been named as DraftKings MVP for the 2017-2018 NBA season, an award given to the player who scored the most fantasy points and was the most consistent fantasy performer throughout the season.

This season, the King put up what may have been the best stat line in the NBA — of his career, perhaps — with averages of 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

He shot 54.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range as well, playing in all 82 games and 36.9 minutes per game at 33-years-old.

That he led the Cavaliers to a 50-32 record without Kyrie Irving — a darkhorse MVP candidate for the Boston Celtics before having season-ending surgery in April — and with Kevin Love missing 23 games,  is as impressive as anything.

His season also parallels the story of DraftKings’ last Fantasy Basketball MVP winner.

Last season, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook was named as the DraftKings MVP for his stellar one-man army performance and his insane stat line of  31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game, the first time a player has averaged a triple-double since Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson did so in the 1961-1962 season.

The 2018 DraftKings Fantasy Basketball Awards couldn’t have been announced at a better time, as LeBron James just recorded 44 points in a win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

It was his sixth outing with at least 40 points this postseason (out of 15 games).

At this point, James is beginning to normalize an absurd level of greatness and while other MVP candidates — namely Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden and New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis — have been terrific all year, the fact of the matter is that James has been the most dominant force in the league all season.

Both on the hardwood and in fantasy basketball.

Related Story: Top 30 Cavs all-time

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com