Erik Spoelstra Wants LeBron James to Win Defensive Player of the Year


It was a goal for LeBron James last season, and when he fell short, the NBA’s MVP was not happy. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is already campaigning for his superstar to win the DPOY award before this season even begins. Per NBA.com: “That’s what makes the prospect of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra‘s Media Day challenge to James one of the most intriguing sidelights of this upcoming season. ‘This year, it would be great to see him be acknowledged for the defensive work that he does,’ Spoelstra said, planting the seed while at the same time saying that’s exactly what he wasn’t trying to do. ‘There’s no one else in the league that can do what he does. He’s been banging on that door, getting close. I don’t want it to be a campaign. It has to be earned. But he has that type of potential to be Defensive Player of the Year.’ Not since Michael Jordan has the best player in the league been this proficient on both ends of the floor. And Jordan, you could argue, played both sides as well as anyone who has ever laced up a pair of sneakers in a game in the NBA or anywhere else. James has the potential to do the same and has shown flashes of it throughout his career, particularly in the past three seasons.”