LeBron James Comments on Legacy, Finals MVP Award and More

LeBron James met with reporters Saturday in advance of a mammoth Game 7 on Sunday night at Oracle Arena. He explained in concise fashion that the outcome of the Cleveland Cavaliers' clash with the Golden State Warriors won't define his legacy. 

Although one reporter tried to press LeBron for an answer, as the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps noted, the two-time champion was definitive in his stance: 

Complete video of the exchange can be viewed below: 

A reporter later asked LeBron about being named the Finals MVP regardless of whether the Cavaliers win or lose Sunday night. However, he refrained from providing a detailed response, citing controversial questions he raised about the term "valuable" after Stephen Curry was named the league's first unanimous MVP, as NBA TV documented on Twitter:  

Speaking of stars, LeBron heaped praise on presumptive No. 1 NBA draft pick Ben Simmons, whom he called "a great young talent," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. 

"I think the way he displays [the talent] on the basketball court, we all notice," James added, per Pompey. "I think we all don't know just yet how great of a kid he is and how down to earth he is with the game of basketball and life in general."

LeBron, who shares an agent with Simmons, also said he considers himself "a mentor to him and big brother" to the 19-year-old. 

During a different segment of his media availability, James admitted he has grown frustrated by the lack of recognition he's received for his work on defense over the years.  

"I'm highly upset that I've never won a Defensive Player of the Year," he said, according to SLAM. "I've always taken that side of the floor very seriously."

James has come close to receiving the coveted award on two occasions. In 2008-09, he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Dwight Howard, who secured 105 first-place votes to LeBron's four.

At the conclusion of the 2012-13 regular season, James finished second behind a big man once again. Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol edged out the then-Miami Heat forward by a 212-149 margin in final voting points. 

He also earned votes on six other occasions. Most notably, the 31-year-old finished fourth following the 2009-10 and 2011-12 campaigns. 

Season	Place	Winner
2008-09	2nd	Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
2009-10	4th	Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
2010-11	9th	Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
2011-12	4th	Tyson Chandler, C, New York Knicks
2012-13	2nd	Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies
2013-14	6th	Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls
2014-15	T-13th	Kawhi Leonard, F, San Antonio Spurs
2015-16	T-11th	Kawhi Leonard, F, San Antonio Spurs

LeBron has never led the league in defensive win shares, but that doesn't mean his claim is unfounded.

To wit: He has recorded four or more defensive win shares in 10 different seasons since debuting in 2003—tied with Tim Duncan for the most during that span. 

And while his efforts have never been rewarded with the most important defensive recognition in the game, LeBron has been named to the NBA's All-Defensive first team five times. He also has one second-team All-Defense nod to his name. 

Most important of all is that he has played strong defense throughout the postseason. 

In the 20 playoff games Cleveland has participated in this season, the team has posted a defensive rating of 102.3 with James on the floor. That compares favorably to a mark of 109.9 with him on the bench. 

If James can continue to lead the charge and help frustrate the Warriors' bevy of talented scorers in arguably the biggest game of his career, his defensive credentials could receive a historic boost in conjunction with a defining moment for a previously tortured franchise. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.