LeBron James went to the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive year. He changed addresses again, leaving Cleveland and his home state for the second time to join the Los Angeles Lakers in the biggest move of free agency this past summer. He remained arguably the dominant player in the basketball world, adding even more glitz to a legacy that reached epic status long ago.
It was, by any measure, a fantastic year for James – and even without an NBA title, it may have been his most significant year.
For the third time, James has been selected as The Associated Press male athlete of the year – at the end of a 12-month span in which he continued to excel on the court, opened the “I Promise” school for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and further used his voice as an activist who bristled at being told to “shut up and dribble.”
“I would describe it as a success because I was able to inspire so many people throughout the year,” James said. “I got to go back to China, to Paris, to Berlin, I opened up a school. And all these kids I was able to see, all over the world and in my hometown, I was able to inspire, to make them think they can be so much more than what they think they’re capable of being. That was my outlook for 2018.”
James received 78 points in balloting by U.S. editors and news directors announced Thursday, while Boston Red Sox star Mookie Betts was second with 46. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was third, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was fourth and Triple Crown-winning horse Justify was fifth.