2012 King Arrives: LeBron’s First FMVP

In 2012, LeBron James was finally crowned. In the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, he led Miami past Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 for his first championship.

The ring mattered: a year earlier, in 2011, James vanished against Dallas and was tagged "absent in clutch." In 2012 he answered with 28-plus a game and domination, the uncontested first FMVP of his career.

On title night James wept on his knees—every controversy since leaving Cleveland, every 2011 nightmare, washed away in tears. His "king era" officially began.

When James lifted the trophy, South Beach’s fireworks lit a new king.

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