Source: Tim Warner / Getty Rockets star James Harden is officially the NBA’s 2017-18 MVP. His spot at the top has felt like the general consensus among fans for a while now, but it didn’t become cemented until Harden was announced as the MVP during the NBA Awards on Monday night. This is the point guard’s first MVP award, despite finishing second twice in his career before. Beyond that, his win marked a first in NBA history. Harden’s former Thunder teammate, Russell Westbrook , was the NBA MVP winner in the 2016-17 season, while his other former teammate, Kevin Durant , won MVP for the 2013-14 season. All three players were drafted by the Thunder in consecutive seasons — which makes the first time three different players drafted by a franchise in consecutive years have been named MVP. After believing he should have won Most Valuable Player last year but coming away empty-handed, Harden chose not to prepare a speech this time– So when the Rockets star finished off an amazing season by walking away with the game’s top individual honor, he was most definitely flabbergasted. He goes on to deliver a speech, honoring his mother whom he calls his, “backbone.” “She's my backbone..” @JHarden13 thanks his mom for being there every step of the way as he accepts the #KiaMVP award! #ThisIsWhyWePlay #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/Zw8Yd7whT9 — NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2018 James Harden was the league’s scoring champ, averaging 30.4 points while leading the Rockets to a franchise-record 65 victories. He was the fourth player to average at least 30 points per game and help lead his team to 65 wins, joining the likes of Stephen Curry , Michael Jordan (twice) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . Catch James Harden’s full MVP acceptance speech below.
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James Harden Makes History, Goes Home With His First NBA MVP Award
