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Allen Iverson was asked who he thinks will win the 2018 MVP award, and he thinks the discussion has to start with LeBron James. From @balldontstop on Instagram:
Here’s what Iverson said:
"It can always be LeBron . . . I'ma go with LeBron regardless. I go with LeBron, then its everybody else. But so many great players man, no disrespect. To none of those young guy. There's some bad little dudes that's rockin’ out. But y'know, LeBron is always at the forefront.”
Iverson’s right to lean towards LeBron, who is always a fixture in MVP votes, though he didn’t finish in the top three of voting in 2017 as the Cavaliers underperformed in the regular season.
If James were to win this year, it would be his fifth award, joining Michael Jordan as the only player with five, with Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s six still being the record holder.
James was listed at fourth in this year’s MVP odds, behind Kevin Durant, last year’s MVP Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard, so if you’re inclined to agree with the answer, you can get a 7.5-to-one payout on a bet on James.
If Kyrie Irving gets traded, there’s certainly a chance for value on LeBron as he’ll almost certainly take even more control of the offense, and as we found last year, a high usage rate combined with narrative momentum is one of the best ways to win the award. We’ll see how it plays out, but Iverson certainly knows where his money would go.