According to the Associated Press on Saturday, basketball superstar LeBron James of Akron, Ohio, has been named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. It is the fourth time that James has received the honour, as he was previously recognized in 2013, 2016, and 2018. A year ago, James was also named the Associated Press male athlete of the decade.
James is now one of three athletes to win the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year four times. The others are golfer Tiger Woods (1997, 1999, 2000, and 2006), and cyclist Lance Armstrong (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005). It is interesting that Armstrong was able to keep his Associated Press Athlete of the Year titles, even though he was stripped of his Tour de France titles for steroid use during that same time period.
During the 2019-20 National Basketball Association regular season with the Los Angeles Lakers, James averaged 25.3 points per game, and led the NBA with 10.2 assists per game. He also had 7.8 rebounds per game, a field goal percentage of .493, a three-point percentage of .348, a free throw percentage of .693, and was an all-star for the 16th time.
In addition to leading the NBA with 10.2 assists per game, James led the NBA in total assists with 684. There is no doubt that the legendary status of LeBron James is growing. At the age of 35, he has made the seamless transition from forward to point guard with complete ease.
In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, one could argue that James, who was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, was even better in the playoffs than the regular season. He averaged 27.6 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 8.8 assists per game, a field goal percentage of .560, a three-point percentage of .370, and a free throw percentage of .720. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games to win their 17th NBA Finals in franchise history.
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