LeBron endorses Curry for MVP

It takes an MVP to know an MVP.

LeBron James congratulated Stephen Curry on Wednesday for earning his second straight MVP award. James finished third in voting behind Kawhi Leonard and the Golden State Warriors superstar, who became the first unanimous choice in the award's 61-year history.

"I think he definitely deserved it," James told reporters. "Look at Steph's numbers. He averaged 30, he led the league in steals, he was 90-50-40, and they won 73 (games). Do you have any debate over that, really, when it comes to that award?"

James, a four-time MVP, acknowledged that voters can be fickle and change their criteria from year to year. His four awards are separated by a lone nod for Derrick Rose in 2011, a season when James was branded as the league's villain for joining the Miami Heat.

"But when you talk about most 'valuable' then you can have a different conversation, so, take nothing away from him, he's definitely deserving of that award, for sure," James said.

He added, "If you do it by a year-to-year basis, I think sometimes the word 'valuable' or best player of the year, you can have different results."