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The Associated Press named LeBron James as its Male Athlete of the Decade. James joins Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, and Arnold Palmer as other recipients for the honor.

"You add another 10 years of learning and adversity, pitfalls, good, great, bad, and any smart person who wants to grow will learn from all those experiences. A decade ago, I just turned 25. I'm about to be 35, and I'm just in a better [place] in my life and have a better understanding of what I want to get out of life," said James, who turns 35 on Monday.

Tom Brady and Usain Bolt took second and third in the voting.

James, who is close to passing Kobe Bryant for 3rd in all-time scoring, admitted that passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place is within reach. 

"I would be lying if I said I don't see it. Obviously I'm not trying to say, 'OK, well if I play this amount of time, if I average this' ... I'm not doing that because I've never done that with my career. I've always just kind of let it happen. Whatever happens, happens. But I see it. I do see it."

Via ESPN

I guess winning wasn't a criteria for this award?

beavis15205 wrote:I guess winning wasn't a criteria for this award?

8 Finals appearances in 10 years is pretty good, infact, its a lot of winning. There's also 3 championships, probably some more if Durant didn't join a great team and turn them into a super-team. The OG Warriors and Cavs were pretty well matched.

alienpick wrote:

beavis15205 wrote:I guess winning wasn't a criteria for this award?

8 Finals appearances in 10 years is pretty good, infact, its a lot of winning. There's also 3 championships, probably some more if Durant didn't join a great team and turn them into a super-team. The OG Warriors and Cavs were pretty well matched.

James is no different from Durant in joining a “super team.” In fact he may be worse, as he orchestrated that Miami trio and arguably set off the current super friend dilemma we’ve been facing over the last decade.

He is a winner though, no doubt, but let’s not pretend his accomplishments have not been without A LOT of help.

TheCage4 wrote:

alienpick wrote:

beavis15205 wrote:I guess winning wasn't a criteria for this award?

8 Finals appearances in 10 years is pretty good, infact, its a lot of winning. There's also 3 championships, probably some more if Durant didn't join a great team and turn them into a super-team. The OG Warriors and Cavs were pretty well matched.

James is no different from Durant in joining a “super team.” In fact he may be worse, as he orchestrated that Miami trio and arguably set off the current super friend dilemma we’ve been facing over the last decade.

He is a winner though, no doubt, but let’s not pretend his accomplishments have not been without A LOT of help.

well, James's super-friend team up was in a direct response to the Boston Big Three joining up and crushing him a few years earlier. He realized then that he couldn't do it on his own. So, I don't entirely blame him. Coming back to CLE, he only had Love and an unproven Kyrie. Without Lebron, that Miami team doesn't make the Finals, and the Cavs certainly don't. Lebron has had a BIG impact on his teams. Let's also not forget he had that **** Lakers team at #4 in the west before he went down with injury. They probably would have made the playoffs on Lebron alone.

I'm not a Lebron super-fan, infact sometimes he down right annoying, but the OP saying Lebron is not a winner is blasphemous.

alienpick wrote:

TheCage4 wrote:

alienpick wrote:
8 Finals appearances in 10 years is pretty good, infact, its a lot of winning. There's also 3 championships, probably some more if Durant didn't join a great team and turn them into a super-team. The OG Warriors and Cavs were pretty well matched.

James is no different from Durant in joining a “super team.” In fact he may be worse, as he orchestrated that Miami trio and arguably set off the current super friend dilemma we’ve been facing over the last decade.

He is a winner though, no doubt, but let’s not pretend his accomplishments have not been without A LOT of help.

well, James's super-friend team up was in a direct response to the Boston Big Three joining up and crushing him a few years earlier. He realized then that he couldn't do it on his own. So, I don't entirely blame him. Coming back to CLE, he only had Love and an unproven Kyrie. Without Lebron, that Miami team doesn't make the Finals, and the Cavs certainly don't. Lebron has had a BIG impact on his teams. Let's also not forget he had that **** Lakers team at #4 in the west before he went down with injury. They probably would have made the playoffs on Lebron alone.

I'm not a Lebron super-fan, infact sometimes he down right annoying, but the OP saying Lebron is not a winner is blasphemous.

Last I checked he didn't make the playoffs last year, got beat in 5 in the Finals and swept the previous two years, neither were competitive series. He got beat in 5 by the Spurs with his "super team" that was going to win not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5? Last I checked Curry won as much as he did this decade.

What?!? Naw, it was that Canadian chick that won the US Open.

Give it to someone who wins in a sport, not the figurehead for an entertainment business owned by billionaires. But I guess this tracks, since Hulk Hogan won it for the 80s.

What Steph Curry did was far better. I will never understand the hype this guy gets. If anything he deserves best recruit of the decade for bringing in Ray Allen, Chris Bosh and playing with D Wade to barely get his first ring. I would also nominate the guy who beat him, Kawhii.

beavis15205 wrote:

alienpick wrote:

TheCage4 wrote:
James is no different from Durant in joining a “super team.” In fact he may be worse, as he orchestrated that Miami trio and arguably set off the current super friend dilemma we’ve been facing over the last decade.

He is a winner though, no doubt, but let’s not pretend his accomplishments have not been without A LOT of help.

well, James's super-friend team up was in a direct response to the Boston Big Three joining up and crushing him a few years earlier. He realized then that he couldn't do it on his own. So, I don't entirely blame him. Coming back to CLE, he only had Love and an unproven Kyrie. Without Lebron, that Miami team doesn't make the Finals, and the Cavs certainly don't. Lebron has had a BIG impact on his teams. Let's also not forget he had that **** Lakers team at #4 in the west before he went down with injury. They probably would have made the playoffs on Lebron alone.

I'm not a Lebron super-fan, infact sometimes he down right annoying, but the OP saying Lebron is not a winner is blasphemous.

Last I checked he didn't make the playoffs last year, got beat in 5 in the Finals and swept the previous two years, neither were competitive series. He got beat in 5 by the Spurs with his "super team" that was going to win not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5? Last I checked Curry won as much as he did this decade.

Decade, not last year or few years. Curry is a decent argument but didn’t make 8 straight Finals. Technically making 8 straight finals, as the most important player on the team, takes a lot of winning. So yeah, he won a lot. Maybe not all his Finals, but a lot of games. Lebron was more dominant than Curry over the DECADE. Over the last 4-5 years: it’s debatable.

Yay....?

This guy is completely full of **** saying he’s not calculating what it will take to surpass Kareem

alienpick wrote:

beavis15205 wrote:

alienpick wrote:
well, James's super-friend team up was in a direct response to the Boston Big Three joining up and crushing him a few years earlier. He realized then that he couldn't do it on his own. So, I don't entirely blame him. Coming back to CLE, he only had Love and an unproven Kyrie. Without Lebron, that Miami team doesn't make the Finals, and the Cavs certainly don't. Lebron has had a BIG impact on his teams. Let's also not forget he had that **** Lakers team at #4 in the west before he went down with injury. They probably would have made the playoffs on Lebron alone.

I'm not a Lebron super-fan, infact sometimes he down right annoying, but the OP saying Lebron is not a winner is blasphemous.

Last I checked he didn't make the playoffs last year, got beat in 5 in the Finals and swept the previous two years, neither were competitive series. He got beat in 5 by the Spurs with his "super team" that was going to win not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5? Last I checked Curry won as much as he did this decade.

Decade, not last year or few years. Curry is a decent argument but didn’t make 8 straight Finals. Technically making 8 straight finals, as the most important player on the team, takes a lot of winning. So yeah, he won a lot. Maybe not all his Finals, but a lot of games. Lebron was more dominant than Curry over the DECADE. Over the last 4-5 years: it’s debatable.

Finals 8 years in a row in the JV conference is not that impressive, when he got to varsity last year how did he do? When he had to play a varsity team in the finals he lost 5 of 8?
Bolt didn't get silver medals. I'd say what he and Phelps did was more impressive. Curry also won as much and won 2 MVPS one unanimously.

this guy has manipulated a generation into thinking he's way better than he is...stat padding choker. he will never be mj or whatever ghost he's been chasing. just another child. never have i ever seen a grown man fap to himself as much as this guy.

Usain Bolt?

Can't deny that if you watched the NBA finals for the last decade there was an 80 percent chance that Lebron was not only playing in it but was the best player (even when his team lost) in those games by a large margin. He deserves to be honored and deserves respect. No player has been as great as him for as long as he has been great. He NBA mount rushmore bound bro.

So not Michael Phelps, who won:

9 gold and 3 silver in the Olympics.

4 gold, 2 silver and a bronze in the world championship

8 gold, 2 silver in the Pan Pacific games


All of this in only this past decade...of course - a lot more in previous decade.

All without suspicion of PEDs - just weed and a **** load of pizza

Nike must have an in with AP. Two years ago Lebron won AP athlete of the year in the year that Lebron's Cavs got their butt's swept in the finals by the Warriors. Serena got female athlete in a year she won nothing but a fine for threatening an umpire.