There are a lot of people who thought James Hardenshould have been named the NBA MVP last season over Steph Curry. In fact, his fellow players essentially named him MVP when they voted him the Players Choice MVP at The Players Choice Awards in July. Harden agrees with them.
“I know I was the MVP,” he told NBA.com recently. “That’s 100 percent given all the things that happened last season. Credit the Golden State Warriors for an unbelievable year. They had an unbelievable team, coaching staff, everything. But that award means most valuable to your team. We finished second in the West, which nobody thought we were going to do at the beginning of the year even when everybody was healthy.”
“There’s so many factors,” he continued. “I led the league in total points scored, minutes played…I’m not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me.”
Harden—who averaged 27.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game last season—is already promising an even better season this year, too. From the sound of things, his lack of an NBA MVP trophy is fueling him.
“You don’t think I can do more?” he asked. “Just wait. I’ll show you…I am the best player in the league. I believe that. I thought I was last year, too.”
You can read NBA.com’s entire feature on Harden here. LeBron James has already called himself the best player in the world this offseason. Kevin Durant has, too. Is there room in the debate for Harden?
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[via NBA.com]
