Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has accomplished a lot during his NBA career. His trophy case is full of personal accolades and championship rings as he has had one of the most decorated careers of any player to ever lace them up.
However, there is one thing that still stings James to this day about his career. He has multiple MVP awards, All-Star Game appearances and MVPs, First-Team All-NBA nominations and NBA Finals MVPs. But, the one trophy that has eluded James throughout his career is the Defensive Player of the Year.
James has finished as the runner-up for the DPOY award twice; in the 2008-09 campaign and in 2012-13. It is the 2012-13 one that bothers him the most and with good reason. During a recent episode of The Shop, he discussed why it stings so much, making an interesting comparison between himself and award-winning artist, Beyonce.
James certainly has a point when he says that it doesn’t make sense. In 2012-13, he finished in second place to Marc Gasol. An argument can certainly be made about the impact Gasol made as a defender, but as James pointed out, Gasol didn’t even make the All-Defensive First Team.
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What makes Gasol winning the DPOY and not being on the All-Defensive First Team is that there was an extra spot that year. James was joined on the First Team by Tony Allen, Serge Ibaka, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah.
Chandler and Noah finished in a tie with 26 points won. Had there not been a tie, Gasol wouldn’t have even made the All-Defensive Second Team, but taken home the most prestigious defensive award the NBA has to offer.
Interestingly, Gasol wasn’t even among the top three centers in points received. Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks finished with 16 points, but it was Gasol, who had 12, that landed on the Second Team.
James did take home the MVP award that season, but even that one had to sting a little bit. He was the runaway winner but fell one vote short of being the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, as one ballot had Carmelo Anthony, who finished third, with a single first-place vote. The first unanimous MVP award would be won by Stephen Curry just three years later.
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