Miami Heat forward LeBron James won his second successive NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after leading his team to victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday's championship decider.
James, undisputed as the sport's best current player, scored a game-high 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Miami's 95-88 Game Seven win.
Four times in the last five seasons, including each of the last two, he has been named MVP during the regular season, elevating him among the greatest players the game has seen.
James, who was widely criticized in the United States after leaving his former team Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami in search NBA championship rings, received the award from Boston Celtics great Bill Russell.
"I'm blessed," James said at the trophy presentation.
"What everyone says about me off the floor doesn't matter."
Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images