LeBron James has widely been viewed as the best player in the world over the last few seasons, and that was certainly the case during the 2019-20 season when he won the championship during the Orlando bubble. However, during the 2020-21 playoffs, LeBron James was eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, and since then, many have called into question whether he was still the best in the world.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN has recently shared the results of a poll with NBA scouts and executives weighing in on who they thought the best player in the world was. LeBron James surprisingly got zero votes, although he was mentioned in the conversation. The two players that split the vote were Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.
Who is the best player in the NBA heading into the 2021-22 Season?
- T1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 5 votes
- T1. Kevin Durant: 5
After Antetokounmpo powered the Bucks to an NBA title and Durant — following his incredible performance against Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference semifinals — led Team USA to a fourth straight gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, the two of them split the voting for the honor of the league’s top player going into next season.
The only other name even mentioned by those polled was James, though he ultimately didn’t receive any votes. It was clear all three stars were on a level unto themselves at this point.
LeBron James didn’t take kindly to the results of the poll, and he responded on Instagram with a bunch of laughing emojis, suggesting that he finds the results laughable. LeBron James also posted a Tweet and other Instagram stories referencing the situation.
Bron responds to receiving no votes from polled NBA executives and scouts for the best player heading into next season
KD and Giannis were voted No. 1 🍿 pic.twitter.com/83DTMJFmSO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 19, 2021
Motivation for the Washed King 👀 pic.twitter.com/1gxJR932ra
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 19, 2021
THANK YOU! As if I didn’t need more to⛽️ ME! #Washed👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 19, 2021
There is no doubt that next season should be fun, and perhaps we’ll see LeBron James lead his team to a championship once again. While the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have the best postseason, next season will be the perfect opportunity for a bounceback. Hopefully, we see a great season from LeBron James, and maybe he can show why he should have gotten more votes in the “best player” poll.
