LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies have been named NBA Players of the Week for the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively, for games played between Dec. 5-11, the league announced on Monday.
This is LeBrons’ third award of the 2016-17 regular season and 56th of his career. It’s Gasol’s first of the year.
The Cavaliers went a perfect 4-0 with victories over the Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets, with James averaging a league-best 32 points on 58.5 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, eight assists, and 2.2 steals.
James passed Elvin Hayes for ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, scored a season-high 44 points against the Hornets, and became the only player to ever have at least 27,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 7,000 assists for his career.
Meanwhile the Grizzlies also went undefeated during that span, including an impressive 110-89 win over the Golden State Warriors last Saturday with Mike Conley, Vince Carter, and Chandler Parsons out. Leading the way was Gasol with his 27.3 points, 10 boards, and 5.3 dimes over four games.
