LeBron James was awarded back-to-back MVP awards during his time with the Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had several star players don the wine and gold (or orange and blue) throughout their 55-year history in the NBA. However, just one of those greats took home the prestigious title of the Most Valuable Player award. LeBron James, the Akron, Ohio native, won the honor in back-to-back seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
LeBron James: 2008-09
‘King James’ revitalized Cleveland’s franchise and fan base when he was taken with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. James received MVP votes as a 19-year-old rookie in 2003-04, finishing ninth after putting up 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals across 79 games. His presence breathed new life into an organization that spent five straight years winning 32 games or less, as the Cavs more than doubled their win total in his first campaign (35) from the year prior (17).
Fast forward five years to 2008-09, one season after leading the Cavs to their first ever Finals appearance, a massive achievement in its own right. LeBron took his game to new heights, helping Cleveland finish with the best record in the league at 66-16, thanks in large part to the 24-year-old phenom averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks. He posted career-highs in games played (81) and efficiency at the time, recording shooting splits of 48.9 / 34.4 / 78.0 in 37.7 minutes a night.
James’ hard work paid off by earning his first career MVP award, along with being named to the first of five straight All-Defensive 1st Teams while finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Despite having the best regular season mark and entering the postseason as the top-ranked team, the Cavs would fall to the Orlando Magic in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
LeBron James: 2009-10
The following season, James beat out a 21-year-old Kevin Durant to capture his second consecutive MVP award with another monster campaign. In 76 appearances for Cleveland, the ‘Chosen One’ would average 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in 39.0 mpg. It was the first time he shot better than 50% from the floor (50.3%) in seven seasons, and he led the entire league in field goals made per game at 10.1.
In addition to winning the MVP, LeBron was named to his sixth straight All-Star team, his third straight All-NBA 1st Team, and back-to-back nominations to the All-Defensive 1st Team. Unfortunately for the King and his Cavs, a 61-21 regular season record amounted to another early playoff exit, this time in the conference semifinals at the hands of the Boston Celtics (4-2).
