Brian Windhorst has been covering the NBA for many years and has stood by most of his opinions and predictions.
However, there is one choice that Windhorst now regrets.
Speaking on “First Take,” per NBACentral, Windhorst said he wishes he didn’t vote for James Harden over LeBron James for MVP at the end of 2017-18.
Harden won the top prize that year and certainly had an incredible season, but Windhorst said looking back makes it clear that James should have taken the trophy home.
Brian Windhorst admits that he made a mistake voting for James Harden over LeBron for MVP in 2018
"The longer I've thought about it, the more I've realized how great LeBron was in this season."
(Via @FirstTake / h/t @awfulannouncing )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 6, 2025
Harden averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in 2017-18 and was a dominant force for his Houston Rockets.
After years of being in the running for MVP, he finally took home the coveted end-of-season award.
Meanwhile, James came in second place with an average of 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.1 assists.
Windhorst pointed out many of the great moments from James during that season and most of them actually came during the playoffs.
Again and again, he helped his Cleveland Cavaliers overpower their opponents, sometimes right at the buzzer.
His Cavs eventually fell short of their ultimate goal and didn’t win the Finals that year.
Just months later, James would be gone and would join the Los Angeles Lakers.
James’ 2017-18 campaign wasn’t as flashy as some previous years and Harden was impossible to ignore, so the MVP decision makes a lot of sense in many ways.
These were two players making a tremendous impact on their teams.
But Windhorst regrets that James didn’t get this prize because he thinks this was a year that will be remembered for a very long time.
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