Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Houston Rockets star James Harden bested LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Monday to claim the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2017-18 season. Harden, who came in second in MVP voting in two of the past three seasons, earned the title with an average of 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. Those stats put him on par with Michael Jordan, the only other player to average at least 30 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. “The last four years I’ve been knocking on the door, knocking on the door, and now the moment is finally here,” Harden said after accepting the award. The 28-year-old also took the opportunity to provide some inspiration to children hoping to be in his place one day. “Shout out to all the young ones, they got a dream. It’s a vision out there. Go take it, go chase that dream,” he said.