After a 2013 that saw LeBron James win his second consecutive NBA Championship, his fourth Most Valuable Player Award, and get married to his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson, James took home another honor Thursday when the Associated Press announced that James is the third basketball player to take home its Male Athlete of the Year honors.
ESPN reports that James received 31 of 96 votes cast in a poll of news organizations to become the third basketball player to win the award since its inception in 1931.
Despite the long list of triumphs in 2013, James said he is still striving for greatness.
"I'm chasing something and it's bigger than me as a basketball player," James told the Associated Press. "I believe my calling is much higher than being a basketball player. I can inspire people. Youth is huge to me. If I can get kids to look at me as a role model, as a leader, a superhero ... those things mean so much, and that's what I think I was built for. I was put here for this lovely game of basketball, but I don't think this is the biggest role that I'm going to have."
James joins Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as the only basketball players to ever take home the honors, while Serena Williams was announced as the Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
"I don't think I've changed much this year," James said via ESPN. "I've just improved and continued to improve on being more than just as a basketball player. I've matured as a leader, as a father, as a husband, as a friend."
LeBron helped lead the Heat to their second NBA Championship in the summer of 2012 and scored 37 points in the deciding Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs.
"He always rises to the occasion when it matters the most," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said via ESPN.
James, who infamously made his "decision" to join the Heat in 2010, has the ability to opt for free agency again in 2014, and he has been mum of what he will do when the season ends and insists he hasn't decided despite murmurs of a Miami return being on his mind.
"I'm so zoned in on what my task is here this year that it's hard to think about anything else," James said per ESPN. "A guy the other day asked me what I'm going to do for New Year's, and I haven't even thought about that."
James said he likes Miami, but it remains to be seen if he'll stay in a Heat uniform past this season.
For now, the 2013 Athlete of the Year isn't looking that far ahead as he wants to continue to add accolades to his resume in 2014 by notching his third consecutive NBA championship.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
