LeBron James won a fourth NBA title and a fourth Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers on 11 October 2020. The vote was unanimous, 11-0. No player before him had been named Finals MVP with three different franchises.
Three franchises, one MVP trophy each
James claimed the award first with the Miami Heat in 2012 and again in 2013, then with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. The Lakers made three the record. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kawhi Leonard had each managed it with two teams.
Game 6 was decided before half-time
Inside the Orlando bubble at Walt Disney World, the Lakers led from the opening minutes and never trailed. They took a 64-36 lead into the break as Miami missed from everywhere, shooting 35 per cent from two, 33 per cent from three and 42 per cent from the line.
Los Angeles pushed the margin to 36 points and closed out a 106-93 win to take the series 4-2. James posted a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, his 28th career playoff triple-double, second only to Magic Johnson. Anthony Davis added 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The championship was the Lakers' 17th, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in league history. It was their first since 2010, and it arrived in a season shadowed by the death of Kobe Bryant in January. Across the six games James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists on 59 per cent shooting.
"We just want our respect," James told reporters afterwards. "Laker Nation wants their respect, and I want my damn respect, too."
The title sat alongside a scoring story still being written: in 2023 he would pass Abdul-Jabbar as the league's all-time leader, and in 2024 reach 40,000 career points. In 2020, the trophy said the rest.
