When you consider some of the best NBA players of all time you’d think of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. One thing all of these players have in common are their MVP awards. This award is given to the best player of the current season.

This year’s field to win the award is not set in stone. Some players have much to prove to their case as to why they should win. This season’s leading candidates are LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis. I will prove why every single one of these players is worthy of the MVP award.

First is LeBron James. He is currently in his 15th season and he says that this is the best he has felt in his whole career and the stats will show that to be true. LeBron is a 14 time all-star and he has already claimed four MVP awards. Yet every stat this year has been above his career average.

He is averaging a total of 27.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. His nickname is the “King” for a reason and this year’s stats prove that he is worthy of the name. At 6’-8” and 250 pounds he can still play every position on the court. Many people say that he is a man among boys because of how much bigger he plays against his opponents.

Once he retires I believe that he will be the greatest of all-time because of his accomplishments throughout his career. Another thing that surprises me is his explosiveness because at age 33 he is still driving right around 22 year-old players and getting layup after layup.

Next is James Harden. He has been one of the most dominant offensive players in NBA history. The 28 year old is have the year of his life averaging 30.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. Those are just some of the reasons you should “fear the Beard.”

Another aspect of his game which makes him so fun to watch is the way he can create space. For example, when he “broke” Wesley Johnson’s ankles and stared him down before before hitting a wide open three. Also he is very clutch in tight game situations. Overall he is one of the best players in the league and is one of my favorite players to watch.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most explosive athletes on this planet. Standing at 6’-11”, the “Greek Freak” or “The Alphabet” is one player everyone fears. He is one of my favorite players to watch because of how long his body is and how he is able to really play any position on the court.

Giannis is averaging 27.2 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. This year he is doing way better than his career average. He has been a fan favorite for all of the NBA because of his monstrous dunks and blocks.

Anthony Davis is one of the best Pelicans players of all time and he is only 25 years old. He has been one of the best players in the NBA since his rookie year. “The Unibrow” is averaging 28.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. In recent months he has been tearing up the stat sheet.

He was named the February player of the month. During that time period he was averaging 35 points, 13 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game. This is one of the most impressive months of basketball by one player in NBA history.

I believe that James Harden will win the MVP award because he has been the most consistent player so far this season. Also to add to the case for MVP, Harden has made the most highlight plays this season. That’s why I believe that “The Beard” will win the 2018 MVP award.