When it comes to analyzing LeBron James ' overall legacy, there isn't anything that the four-time NBA champion hasn't accomplished. From achieving unparalleled longevity that has earned him all-time records for points, wins, minutes played, and games played to collecting nearly every individual accolade an athlete can hope for, King James has built arguably the most impressive career in professional sports history.
Yet, many still find it surprising that he has won only four MVP awards. And if former teammate Brendan Haywood is to be believed, LeBron deserved at least one more MVP award, one that instead went to Derrick Rose and became one of the defining achievements of the latter's career.
LBJ joined the Miami Heat ahead of the 2010-11 season with the primary goal of winning an NBA championship. As star-studded as the roster looked, James had to learn to adjust his game alongside established superstars like Dwyane Wade, which meant sharing the basketball.
Despite that transition, James averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting a then-career-best 51.0 percent from the field. Moreover, his two-way production earned him selections to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.
On the other hand, D-Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field. As impressive as it was to see the 22-year-old guard's fearlessness, his efficiency was the lowest field-goal percentage of his first three NBA seasons.
Thus, for Haywood, the numbers make it clear that James had the stronger individual season. Speaking on the "Gils Arena Show," Brendan confidently proclaimed that LeBron's superior scoring efficiency and all-around production should have earned him the MVP award over D-Rose.
"The Derrick Rose MVP definitely should have went to LeBron," Haywood said on the Gils Arena Show. "You can go look. You can look at the numbers; he had a better year than Derrick Rose.
When LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh came together in Miami, expectations were enormous. Many anticipated the Heat would dominate the league, making their regular-season performance a major talking point.
However, the Chicago Bulls finished the 2010-11 regular season with a league-best 62-20 record, with the league's best defensive rating. Miami, meanwhile, went 58-24, finished second in the Eastern Conference standings, and was only fifth in the defensive rating.
So, in many ways, it was ultimately because of the Bulls' superior record to the star-studded Heat that Rose earned 113 first-place votes for the MVP award over King James, receiving just four.
The 2017-18 MVP race provided another example of how team success can influence the winner. Harden won the honor after averaging 30.4 points per game across 72 appearances, leading the Houston Rockets to a league-best 65-17 record.
James, meanwhile, averaged 27.5 points and 9.1 assists per game while appearing in all 82 regular-season games. The Cavs finished with 50 wins, significantly behind Houston's total.
So, while Harden did have the superior scoring record, he did have the likes of Chris Paul and prime Eric Gordon by his side, who averaged at least 18.0 points per game. On the other hand, James was on a Cavs team constantly hampered by injuries, so much so that when James scored a league-high 34.0 points per game in the playoffs, the next-best player scored only 14.9 points per game.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
