The Least Suspenseful MVP

"This year's MVP should be the least suspenseful one ever." Stern looked at the media's voting results for this year's MVP, not the least bit surprised.

41.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.7 turnovers per game!

27.9 field-goal attempts per game! He made 13.9 at a 51.5% shooting percentage!

8.9 three-point attempts per game! He made 3.5 at a 40.2% shooting percentage!

7.2 free throws per game!

Perfect!

Kobe Bryant! He had put together a phenomenal season, once again leading the Lakers to a perfect 70-12 record!

And he had done it with O'Neal playing only 69 games!

He had done it while facing relentless double teams from every other team in the league, even triple teams!

He had done it shot by shot, right in the faces of countless legendary superstars!

Dominance!

What was dominance?

Kobe's performance this season defined the word!

Kobe Bryant—47 first-place votes, 1 second-place vote!

That one vote was undoubtedly from ESPN.

He had been elected almost unanimously!

Such a spectacle had not appeared in many years, especially in an era with more than a dozen superstars. Kobe had unquestionably become the face of the league.

"Isn't having one player stand so far above the rest contrary to the NBA development policy we established?" The bald Adam Silver hesitated before speaking.

In his view—yes, the league needed countless superstars, but those stars should contend with one another, each taking turns in the spotlight. That was what best satisfied fans' desire for something new.

After all, no matter how classic a story was, no one would want to keep listening after hearing it a hundred times.

"No, quite the opposite." Stern's glasses gleamed as he envisioned the future of the NBA.

It would be a glorious golden age!

A sky full