Darvin Ham says LeBron James is the MVP frontrunner: It's a no-brainer

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
For some perspective on the Shohei Ohtani contract vs. NBA players:
Ohtani: $700M contract (10 years to earn)
LeBron James: $534M career (22 seasons to earn)
Kevin Durant: $500M career (19 seasons to earn) – 4:34 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Contract earnings:
$700M — Ohtani next 10 seasons
$628M — LeBron and MJ COMBINED pic.twitter.com/E2u3Xar7MK – 4:13 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“I think it’s a no-brainer”
Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham tells @TermineRadio that LeBron is the MVP front-runner after the first seven weeks of the season
Hear the In-Season Tournament Final tonight at 8:30p ET on Channel 86, or on the Sirius XM App 👇
siriusxm.us/NBARadioLive pic.twitter.com/gjHc4Xt8fi – 3:00 PM

Christian Clark @cclark_13
New @FromTheWingPod
– The Zion conversation
– LeBron got up for the IST
– It was close until late in the 2Q
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fro… – 2:29 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
LeBron James continues to make history in his 21st year.
@adaniels33 talks with @RickKamlaSports about the lack of appreciation for James. pic.twitter.com/4cQjb7ozEC – 2:00 PM

Kane Pitman @KanePitman
“I looked at my phone 35 minutes ago, just to see exactly how old he was…”
Rick Carlisle on the Pacers embracing the LeBron challenge today. pic.twitter.com/AmbpLDMyT4 – 1:54 PM

Steve Aschburner @AschNBA
Being the first to accomplish anything brings a little extra status. The Pacers and the Lakers are trying to be the first In-Season Tournament champs, with Tyrese Haliburton and LeBron James in position to be inaugural MVP. nba.com/news/lakers-pa… – 1:45 PM

Jimmy Spencer @JimmySpencer
I don’t want to hear it anymore. The NBA midseason tournament is a win. It’s uniquely built the now-global superstar story of @TyHaliburton22 in fast fashion and showcases @KingJames as king of the big moments. – 12:53 PM

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last night:
38 PTS
5 REB
5 AST
5 STL
It’s the third time he’s recorded at least 30p/5s in a game this season, one more such game than all other players combined (LeBron James and Jayson Tatum, one apiece).
Subscribe: statitudes.com/p/nba-game-not… pic.twitter.com/Wrb1NvjKaf – 11:53 AM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Tyrese Haliburton grew up rooting for LeBron James. Mentioned several times this week. Tonight, the two try to make history in the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament, ⁦@TheAthleticNBA⁩ theathletic.com/5123657/2023/1… – 9:59 AM

StatMuse @statmuse
Most points in the 4th quarter this season:
161 — Maxey
159 — Giannis
152 — Fox, LeBron pic.twitter.com/seYw8Ew23v – 9:46 AM

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
New wide-ranging Lowe Post podcast: All things Pacers-Lakers/IST/Haliburton/Bron w/ @MoDakhil_NBA — plus Clips check-in. Then rapid-fire awards races at the 1/4 mark and Knicks check-in w/ @FredKatz:
Spotify: spoti.fi/3RygEYB
Apple: apple.co/3GEZ3I0 – 9:44 AM

NBA Math @NBA_Math
Dec. 9 RPR MVP:
1. Nikola Jokić: 18.756
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 17.484
3. Joel Embiid: 16.845
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 15.551
5. Tyrese Haliburton: 14.591
6. Luka Dončić: 13.966
7. LeBron James: 13.743
8. Kevin Durant: 13.457
9. Jayson Tatum: 13.436
10. Tyrese Maxey: 13.357 pic.twitter.com/VNCk06LMlQ – 9:38 AM

Kane Pitman @KanePitman
“Did LeBron tell you he wants to finish his career in Australia?!”
It was always going to be chaos with the fellas 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/2IH8aMpIl4 – 1:27 AM

StatMuse @statmuse
Spida tonight:
27 PTS
13 REB
6 AST
The youngest Cav since LeBron to reach those numbers in a game on 50+ FG%. statmuse.com/nba/player/don… – 10:27 PM

Tony East @TonyREast
They beat the Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals, a series Rick Carlisle remembers well. They defend like crazy. They have LeBron James and bring a ton of fans.
In every way, the Lakers are the perfect In-Season Tournament Finals matchup for the Pacers. Story: si.com/nba/pacers/new… – 9:32 PM

Dave McMenamin @mcten
New story: If the Lakers want to win the In-Season Tournament crown, they’ll have to get past Tyrese Haliburton who Darvin Ham called the Pacers’ “jewel” es.pn/3RiTi83 – 9:30 PM

Ball Don’t Lie @Balldontlie
“This year, everything seems just to be a little different. … This year he seems very much alive.”
Austin Reaves on LeBron being an MVP candidate this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nhOrQQMgz0 – 6:06 PM

David Aldridge @davidaldridgedc
Rick Carlisle: “LeBron James is in his prime, still.” Points out stat that James is the only player in league history who has been, both, the youngest player in the league – and, now, is the oldest player in the league. – 5:31 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Like ‘any kid born in 2000,’ LeBron James was Tyrese Haliburton’s favorite player growing up. Unlike virtually all of those kids, Haliburton is playing against his idol in the NBA In-Season Tournament finals, ⁦@TheAthleticNBA⁩ theathletic.com/5123657/2023/1… – 5:30 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton on ‘storybook’ in in-Season Tournament finale: ‘LeBron was my favorite player growing up’ ⁦@TheAthleticNBA⁩ theathletic.com/5123657/2023/1… – 5:25 PM

Ball Don’t Lie @Balldontlie
“LeBron was my favorite player growing up … to be able to compete against him in the championship is kind of
like a story.”
Tyrese Haliburton on playing LeBron and the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/v7s5aaGRZF – 4:38 PM

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Per @bball_ref
Most points scored in the NBA as a teenager:
1. LeBron James: 2,362
2. Kobe Bryant: 1,759
3. Carmelo Anthony: 1,725
Most points scored in NBA by a player in their 20’s:
1. LeBron James: 21,539
2. Wilt Chamberlain: 21,486
3. Michael Jordan: 20,589 – 4:21 PM

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude @ROSGO21
Not Austin Reaves telling LeBron how old he is 😂😂 Postgame for SportsCenter as the Lakers advance to the NBA In Season Tournament Championship with a dominant 44 point win over the Pelicans! #LeBron #Lakers #nba #IST pic.twitter.com/lvK9elp3cE – 4:13 PM

Tony East @TonyREast
“To be able to compete against him in the [In-Season Tournament] championship is storybook,” Tyrese Haliburton says of LeBron James. LeBron was Haliburton’s favorite player growing up. – 3:51 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Catch NBA Today (4-7pET) w/ @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8
@TalkHoops will host until Justin’s back from recording in Vegas with Darvin Ham, Taurean Prince, Rick Carlisle & Bruce Brown…talking IST Final. Plus, you’ll hear these interviews.
📻Listen Live: siriusxm.us/NBARadioLive pic.twitter.com/JuMPKRwLF5 – 3:46 PM

Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
LeBron James was wildly efficient last night! pic.twitter.com/erB5v8Sdll – 3:31 PM

NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
LeBron just keeps raising the bar 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4TbIRl4W3v – 3:21 PM

Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Darvin Ham on if LeBron James should be in the MVP conversation with the way that he’s currently playing: “No question. No question. … That’s a no-brainer.” – 11:52 PM

Khobi Price @khobi_price
Darvin Ham’s says “somewhere in between” when asked about his willingness to play his main guys – particularly LeBron James – for the IST like he would for a playoff game vs. a regular-season game: pic.twitter.com/aM9uzBPu4H – 7:51 PM

Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Darvin Ham on the IST: “We all joke about the money (cash prize), but you look at the mental approach, the competitive spirit and the effort that is given possession to possession.” – 7:32 PM

Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
Lakers coach Darvin Ham on changes he would make to the IST: “Add more money to the purse!” – 7:23 PM

Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Darvin Ham said the Pelicans – whom LAL haven’t played get – stand out to him in being very well-balanced, with impact players on both sides of the ball:
“You really have to play at a high level on both sides of the ball.” – 7:21 PM