MIAMI (AP):

Heat forward LeBron James is the NBA's MVP for a third time, putting him alongside some of the game's all-time greats.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that James will be announced later today as this year's winner of the league's top individual honour, and that he'll be formally presented with the trophy by Commissioner David Stern tomorrow afternoon before Miami host Indiana in Game One of an Eastern Conference semi-final series.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not announced the results.

James is winning the award for the third time in four seasons. Only seven other players - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone - have at least three MVP trophies.

James said last week that while another MVP award ''would be amazing and would be humbling,'' it's not what drives him. In his ninth season, James still has not won an NBA title and it's clear that, although he wanted to reclaim the MVP trophy, winning a championship is far and away his top basketball priority.

''What I'm all about is team and ever since I was a kid, I was always taught it's team first,'' James told the AP yesterday. ''My first time playing basketball, we went undefeated and won a championship and Frank Walker Sr gave everyone on the team a MVP trophy. Right then and there, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to see my team-mates reap the benefits as well.''

Abdul-Jabbar won the MVP six times, Jordan and Russell five times each, Chamberlain four times. After this weekend, they'll be the only players with more than James.

''I think he's probably as committed as he's ever been in his career,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said this week, asked to summarise James' season. ''And he's always been committed. ... We all respond to his energy on the court.''

James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists - making him only the fourth player with those totals in at least two different seasons, according to STATS LLC, joining Oscar Robertson (five times), John Havlicek (twice) and Bird (twice).

Add James' 53 per cent shooting and 1.9 steals per game into the mix, and the club gets even more exclusive. Only Jordan had a season with numbers exceeding what James did this season in those categories - 1988-89, when he averaged 32.5 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and 2.9 steals on 54 per cent shooting.

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant was thought to be James' top competition for the MVP after winning the NBA scoring title for a third straight season. Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs also had seasons that generated some MVP buzz.