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LeBron: Steph is the 2020-21 MVP

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James offered high praise for counterpart Stephen Curry ahead of Wednesday's NBA play-in tournament showdown against the Golden State Warriors.

"We're playing, in my mind, the MVP of this year in Steph," James told reporters after the Lakers' 110-98 win on Sunday, including USA Today's Mark Medina.

Curry produced one of his best career campaigns this past season. The seven-time All-Star averaged a career-high 32 points on 48.2% shooting - including 42.1% from deep - over 63 appearances in 2020-21 en route to his second career NBA scoring title.

The 33-year-old also became the second-oldest player after Michael Jordan to finish the season atop the league's scoring leaderboard.

Curry's 5.3 triples per contest in 2020-21 was the highest single-season average in NBA history, breaking his previous mark of 5.1. Most importantly, he's managed to lead Golden State within a win of a playoff berth despite the season-long absence of co-star Klay Thompson.

"Everybody counted him out this year," James said, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. "Everybody said now that Klay is hurt, can Steph lead a team on his own? What's he going to be able to do? Can he carry a team into the postseason? Can he keep a team afloat? He’s done that and more."

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