King James Reigns Over NBA Again

No surprise there.

And barring injury or illness, certainly not the last time we'll see that headline.

James' appointment as the 2010 NBA MVP followed a regular season in which he averaged 29.7 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and shot 50.3 percent from the field while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to 61 wins and the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

It was James' second consecutive NBA MVP award, and for the second year in a row, the voting wasn't even close.

King James received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes and 1,205 total points in voting by sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league.

The next closest was Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who received four first-place votes and 609 total points.

Last year, James received 109 of a possible 122 first-place votes.

James is the 12th player in NBA history to win multiple NBA MVP awards, and the 10th to do it in consecutive seasons, joining a list of NBA legends, past and current, that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan.

Impressive company, for sure.

"Those are guys I looked up to growing up," James told The Associated Press. "To be in that same category is an unbelievable feat."

2010 NBA MVP Voting:

LeBron James, Cleveland, 1,205 (116)
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 609 (4)
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, 599
Dwight Howard, Orlando, 478 (3)
Dwyane Wade, Miami, 119
Carmelo Anthony, Denver, 65
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 55
Steve Nash, Phoenix, 49
Deron Williams, Utah, 7
Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix, 5
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 3
Chris Bosh, Toronto, 1
Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 1
Stephen Jackson, Charlotte, 1
Chauncey Billups, Denver, 1

NBA MVP Multiple Winners:

Kareem Abdul Jabbar, 6
Michael Jordan, 5
Bill Russell, 5
Wilt Chamberlain, 4
Larry Bird, 3
Magic Johnson, 3
Moses Malone, 3
Tim Duncan, 2
LeBron James, 2
Karl Malone, 2
Steve Nash, 2
Bob Pettit, 2

Sources:
LeBron James player bio, NBA
Most Valuable Player, NBA Encyclopedia