When LeBron James was robbed of the greatest season ever in 2012-13 by just a single vote

In the 2012-13 NBA season, then-Miami Heat superstar forward LeBron James nearly made history by becoming the then-first unanimous regular-season MVP. James received 120 out of 121 first-place votes, with the only other first-place vote going to then-New York Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony.

The MVP marked the fourth of James’ career, making him the youngest player to receive four MVPs at just 28 years old. Many consider the 2012-13 season the best all-around season of James’ career, especially given his elite efficiency.

James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers per game on 56.5% shooting over 76 games.

However, even after putting up historically great numbers, James still fell just short of becoming the first unanimous MVP. The honor would later go to Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry in the 2015-16 season.

LeBron James on falling just short of being the first-ever unanimous MVP

Former Miami Heat superstar forward LeBron James

When asked about falling just one vote short of becoming the first-ever unanimous MVP in 2013, LeBron James had some fun with it. James joked that the lone media member who didn’t vote for him was a New York Knicks fan:

“It's probably a writer out of New York that didn't give me the vote,” James said.

“I know the history between the Heat and the Knicks. So I get it.”

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony spoke about how deserving James was of the award, given his historical season:

“LeBron gets it, I take my hat off to him, he deserves it,” Anthony said.

“They had a helluva year, to win 27 straight games, a hell of an achievement.”

James also said that he wanted to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award even more than his fourth MVP. This came after he finished second in DPOTY voting (18 first-place votes) in 2013, behind then-Memphis Grizzlies star big man Marc Gasol (30 first-place votes).

“I tried harder to win Defensive Player of the Year than I did MVP,” James said.

“That's my goal. Coach (Erik Spoelstra) had me guarding every position. We'll try again next year.”

LeBron James is looking forward to the 2023-24 NBA season with the LA Lakers and along with Anthony Davis who recently signed an extension, James would like to win another championship in the NBA.