Even in his age-38 campaign, LeBron James is still one of the most feared basketball players in the sport.
James doesn’t take on the same workload he used to have during his time with the Cavaliers and the Heat, when he would play nearly the entire season, but when he’s on the court, he’s been unstoppable. In 2022-23, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, with the former two being above his career averages of 27.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, and the assists just below (7.3 assists).
On Monday, however, when MVP votes were announced, James was in an unfamiliar position: he was on the outside looking in for votes. The announced results saw James receive no votes for MVP, even all the way down to fifth place.
Joel Embiid is the first player to win the Kia NBA MVP Award with the 76ers since Allen Iverson in the 2000-01 season.
Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kko3o8tmxi
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 2, 2023
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How rare is it for James to be left out of MVP voting entirely? Here’s what you need to know.
LeBron James MVP vote history
James just concluded his 20th season in the league, and for the first time in those 20 years, he did not receive a single MVP vote. In every other campaign, he has received at least one vote share for the award.
Here’s a look at his MVP vote history, according to Basketball Reference:
| Season | MVP vote share | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | 0.9% | 9 |
| 2004-05 | 7.3% | 6 |
| 2005-06 | 55.0% | 2 |
| 2006-07 | 14.2% | 5 |
| 2007-08 | 34.8% | 4 |
| 2008-09 | 96.9% | 1 |
| 2009-10 | 98.0% | 1 |
| 2010-11 | 43.1% | 3 |
| 2011-12 | 88.8% | 1 |
| 2012-13 | 99.8% | 1 |
| 2013-14 | 71.3% | 2 |
| 2014-15 | 42.5% | 3 |
| 2015-16 | 48.2% | 3 |
| 2016-17 | 33.0% | 4 |
| 2017-18 | 73.1% | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 0.1% | 11 |
| 2019-20 | 74.6% | 2 |
| 2020-21 | 0.1% | 13 |
| 2021-22 | 0.1% | 10 |
In three of the past four seasons, James has received at least one fifth-place vote to keep his streak of 19 years going.
James might have put together another outstanding season from his averages standpoint, but the 2022-23 campaign also saw the King tie the mark for his fewest games in a non-COVID shortened season of his career at just 55, matching the 2018-19 season when he also only played in 55 games. And in that season, it also took a lone fifth-place vote to preserve his run.
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While James’ streak might have come to an end, he still holds a place in NBA history for the run. His 19 consecutive years with at least one vote sets the record for the longest streak in a player’s career, surpassing the 17 from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Like James, Abdul-Jabbar’s run also began with the start of his career.
The longest streak of Jordan’s career was seven, from 1986-87 to 1992-93.
Longest active MVP streak
There is currently no active streak of receiving MVP votes that began with the start of a player’s career, but there are several players who have earned MVP recognition in several consecutive years.
The closest active streak to James’ is the one ongoing by Giannis Antetokounmpo with seven straight that began in his fourth season in the NBA. Next up is Nikola Jokic’s run of five consecutive that started in his fourth year in the league.
Luka Doncic is both third with a run of four and is the closest to his streak having started at the beginning of his career. He received his first MVP votes in his second year in the league, and has continued to earn shares each campaign since.