“HIM”: LeBron James hypes former rival who astonishingly stole his MVP award years ago 

LeBron James has no animosity towards Derrick Rose regarding the 2010-11 NBA MVP award, which many thought he deserved to win. While the MVP race has remained a point of contention for many fans over the years, it all seems to be water under the bridge to James.

Recently the future Hall of Famer took to Instagram to give Rose his metaphorical flowers heading into the upcoming season. With Rose set to serve as the Memphis Grizzlies backup point guard behind Ja Morant, there has been plenty of talk regarding Rose's role as a veteran.

The team struggled last year with a lack of leadership, resulting in Steven Adams reportedly leading a team meeting about conduct on the road.

While Adams, who has played ten seasons in the league, is a respected voice in the locker room, Rose's presence brings a new level of leadership. After celebrating his 35th birthday, Rose was praised by LeBron James on Instagram, who posted a side-by-side photo of the former MVP.

The side-by-side shows Rose wearing a Memphis jersey in college, before then showing a photo of him wearing a Grizzlies jersey in 2023. In the caption, James wrote "HIM" as a tribute to his fellow rival.

@KingJames - Instagram

Looking back at the 2010-11 NBA MVP race between LeBron James and Derrick Rose

Over the years, there have been allegations that Derrick Rose 'stole' the MVP award from LeBron James during the 2010-11 season. Despite that, James has never made mention of the situation and even went so far as to praise Rose for his play.

When looking at their stats, James had a slight edge, averaging 26.7 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 7.0 assists per game. On the flip side, Rose averaged 25.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 7.7 apg. Although LeBron had a slight statistical edge, Rose's Chicago Bulls finished the season in first place.

With a 62-20 record for Derrick Rose's Bulls, which included a sweep of James' Heat in the regular season and a 58-24 record for the Miami Heat, Rose was named the NBA MVP. At the time, LeBron James spoke about the situation.

As James told media members in late March of 2011:

"I think [it's] Derrick Rose. What he's done for that team, with all the injuries they have and them being first in the Eastern Conference -- they're playing some really good basketball."

With the two even playing on the same team in the years following the controversial MVP vote, it's safe to say there's no bad blood between the two men. Heading into year 21 for LeBron James, the two men will now compete in the Western Conference, with Rose on the Grizzlies.