Report: James to win NBA MVP

The NBA will name Miami Heat star LeBron James as league MVP, ESPN reported Friday, citing league sources.

It will be James' fourth MVP honor. He also won it last year.

Only Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have also won the award at least four times.

Other candidates included Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul.

League commissioner David Stern will present the MVP trophy to James in Miami on Sunday, a day before the Heat begin their second round playoff series against either the Brooklyn Nets or Chicago Bulls.

Miami swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

James told reporters Friday that he is just focused on winning another championship, but coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about the MVP honor.

"He's earned it," Spoelstra said. "He's having an even more historic season than he's had the last two years. Most people probably didn't think he could go to a higher level after last season, yet he reinvented himself to show that he could. Our pinch-ourselves moment was when we signed him. But since we've had him, we don't take him for granted."

James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and one block in 76 regular season games. He also shot a career-best 56.6 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

The Heat went a franchise-best 66-16 this season, including a 27-game winning streak -- second-longest in NBA history behind the Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game streak in 1971-72.