CLEVELAND, OH. – LeBron James was presented his second consecutive NBA MVP, joining nine other NBA players who have won the award in back-to-back seasons.Those familiar names are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Bill Russell.

Three of those stars, Russell, Chamberlain and Bird actually took the trophy home three times in a row.

James’ win comes at the heels of a season where he compiled the most impressive stats of his 7-year career that included 29.7 PPG, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6assists.NBA Commissioner David Stern presented the hardware to James Sunday at the University of Akron.

The Cavs star received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes blowing away all the other candidates. Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant came in second but was picked first on only four ballots.

One piece of the puzzle for James’ career that remains missing is an NBA Championship. The Cavs have surrounded James with several different player combinations and have yet to find the right mix to bring Cleveland its first NBA Championship.

The most recent group includes Shaquille O’Neal who has won titles for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. The Cavs are considered by many as this year’s favorite after winning 61 games this season snagging the top seed in the playoffs.

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LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the man formally known as Lew Alcindor, was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was known for his unstoppable “sky-hook” shot is the leading scorer in NBA history, said his doctor conveyed promising news to him saying, “You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle.”

Similar to how Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV after contacting the disease in the mid-90’s, Kareem wants to do the same with his disease.

“I’ve never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives,” said Kareem. “It’s incumbent on someone like me to talk about this.”

Below is the cover of a March, 1969 Sports Illustrated edition after the young Alcindor led his UCLA team to the national title. 

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