Fansided

LeBron James wins Sports Illustrated’s 2016 Sportsperson of the Year

By Jake Walerius

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Larry O
June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Larry O /
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LeBron James is Sports Illustrated’s 2016 Sportsperson of the Year.

LeBron James, who had an historic 2016, on the court and off, is the Sports Illustrated‘s 2016 Sportsperson of the Year. James beat out Steph Curry, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, the Chicago Cubs and Vin Scully, among others, to claim the prize.

The result should really come as no surprise given the year James had. His highlight achievement was, of course, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title and bringing an end to Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought.

The title would have been enough to ensure James’ inclusion among the Sportsperson of the Year nominees under almost any circumstances, but the specific circumstances in which he won it were especially epic.

In dragging his Cavs back from a 3-1 Finals deficit against the greatest regular season team in NBA history, James led both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, and his Game 7 block on Andre Iguodala will go down as one of the most iconic plays in sports history — a play, at last, to begin to erase the memory of The Drive and The Shot.

In a larger sense, James’ 2016 Finals victory solidified his basketball legacy. The Decision, his losing finals record, the endless questions about whether he’s clutch enough, whether he’s a winner — all of it was erased in 2016, as James not only served a timely reminder that he remains, until further notice, the best player in the NBA, but also put any doubts about his status as an all-time great firmly to rest.

2016 was also the year James began to embrace his role as a leader off the court. His speech, at the beginning of ESPYS — along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony — condemning racism and gun violence, and calling on his fellow athletes to speak out marked a clear departure from his previous, less politically engaged public persona.

James will receive the Sportsperson of the Year award Monday night at the Barclays Center in New York City. He’ll be joined at the ceremony Dave Edlund, FanSided’s Fan of the Year.

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